


A Damaged Soul

by Mekachii



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Depression, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Multi, Psychological Trauma, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-22
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-27 12:56:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5049439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mekachii/pseuds/Mekachii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Monsters always knew that humans were stronger than them, having stronger bodies and sturdier souls. But what happens when they meet a human whose soul was just as fragile as theirs?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Change of Pace

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize if the first chapter seems long and overbearing. I also want to put out that this story follows an AU of mine where Frisk gives half of his soul to Asriel in order to live again, not wanting to see him suffer alone in the underground. If that doesn't bode well with some of you, that's fine, you don't need to read, but please do not leave any hateful comments. It will be explained further into the story. Criticism is welcomed, however.

_Ring...ring... ... ... ...Beep!_

"...H...hello...? Ah... ...I-it's me...Um...I know it's uncharacteristic for me to call, let alone leave a voicemail but...um...I-I didn't know who else to call because...b-because...A-anyway...I'm calling because...erm...I...I.......This will be the last time...you guys will hear from me....and...I just....wanted to say...that I'm sorry...that I lied...and not said anything...but I didn't want to scare you guys....and honestly, my existence is....nothing but a burden to everyone involved...a-and I'm leaving this message because...b-because it'll be the last time you hear my voice..."

 

* * *

 

You don't know how you got here.

Never in your life has it ever crossed your mind that you would be standing in front of a door, waiting to be led into a home that belonged to monsters for a get-together. You gripped the strap of your bag as you stood behind Frisk, the boy who - somehow - convinced you that it would be a good idea to introduce you to his friends. You don't know what compelled you to agree, since you yourself was not fond of meeting strangers, or being around people in general. Monsters, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. When the idea was first brought up to you, it was easy to decline then since you had work that day, but rather than wholly declining the request, you rescheduled. Why, you continued to ask yourself, did you agree to this in the first place? Being a social butterfly was never on your agenda, having grown an affinity to solitude. And yet, there you stood, young Frisk already walking up the wooden steps of the porch to alert the monsters of your arrival. You wanted to back out, make up some excuse to leave and, hopefully, never go through this again.

But you didn't.

Your feet remained firmly in place as you stood there, shuffling your feet into the ground and waiting for the inevitable. You kept opening your mouth to stop the boy, to tell him you couldn't right now, that there was something that you needed to do. But no matter how many times you tried to utter a single word, the only thing to escape from your mouth was nothing more than a huff of air. It was pathetic, wasn't it? You could have left at any time, maybe even rescheduled the meeting, but being the nice person that you were, you didn't want to disappoint Frisk or his friends. So you stood there, swallowing hard when you saw Frisk's hand rise to knock on the wooden door.

Rewind for a moment, try to remember how exactly you got yourself to this point, and try to figure out what had led you to a decision like this. It was the present day, some years had passed ever since monsters had returned to the surface. It was quite the shock to humanity, how the barrier was suddenly lifted and the monsters could finally return to the surface world after centuries of banishment. It was all over the media, internet,and every news station that exists covered the story in full detail. There was some panic for obvious reasons, but after they saw that the ambassadors for the monsters themselves turned out to be a human and monster child chosen by the King of Monsters himself, the world was moved. Asriel and Frisk, were the children's names, and they had became celebrities in their own right. It was some long months that followed before negotiations finally came to an agreement; The monsters were welcomed back onto the surface, had free reign and would be treated as equals amongst the humans. Of course, not everyone was keen on the idea of monsters living with humanity, but that was to be expected. Nonetheless, the monsters adjusted well and lived side-by-side with humans.

That was at least a decade ago. Both Frisk and Asriel had grown considerably since then, now lively preteens. You had grown, too, now a young adult who had to do adult things, like getting a job, getting a house of your own, going to college, etc. Your life was, well, normal, as far as human lifestyles were concerned. It was the same routine everyday; go to work, come home, go to class, come home, and on your days off you mostly took the time out to go shopping for groceries to pay any bills before dinking about in your apartment. The same thing, everyday, for the past two years. And you were content with that - sure you didn't have any friends, didn't talk to family or any significant other, but you were always a person who valued your solitude. You liked being alone, being able to not worry about what the other person thinks of you or criticize you for your mistakes and flaws and only belittle you for who you were...Such nonsense was not needed in your life, so the day you moved out of your grandmother's house had to have been the best day of your life.

It happened around...a week ago? You had finished your classes for that day and you were heading home. The town you lived in wasn't particularly large - not that you minded, since large cities were far too loud, crowded and required one to move at a faster pace. At any rate, there were only two colleges there; one was your everyday standard university while the other was an art school. That was the school you went to, having decided to pursue your artistic career (even if many didn't agree with your decision otherwise). This also meant you had to lug around a portable easel whenever you went to class, making you even more thankful that you had a car and didn't have to use the bus. With the easel and your backpack strapped around your shoulder, you trudged to the parking garage, mentally cursing yourself for over packing yet again. You ended up dropping something along the way, but didn't realize, until someone called out for you to wait.

Turning, you were moderately surprised to see the young ambassadors themselves jogging towards you, Frisk clutching your car keys. "Miss! You dropped these!" Asirel panted as Frisked approached to hand you said item.

"Oh...thank you," you murmur softly as you take the keys into your hand. Your voice was quiet, but you were sure that the boys could hear the gratitude in your voice, since you were indeed grateful. Imagine what would have happened if you got to your car and couldn't find your keys? Well, honestly, you really didn't know what you'd do at that point, which is why you were glad that they happened to have been around. Which also begs the question as to why they were near the university in the first place. Well, whatever the reason was, it wasn't any of your business.

With your keys safe and secure again, you went to bid the boys goodbye, not seeing any reason to stay and chat, but you were stopped once more. "Oh wow! Do you draw?" Asriel asked, having spotted your easel. Both boys were around twelve or thirteen, so the childlike curiosity was to be expected, but from these two it was...well, cuter. Charming, almost.

"Oh...um...yeah," you almost whisper. "Nothing special just...dumb comics."

"Really?" Frisk seemed to have perked up at the mention of comics, as did Asriel, causing you to fidget a bit. "Can we see? Just a peek?" No one has ever taken interest in your drawings before, but now the ambassadors of both humans and monsters wanted to look at them?Were you even awake right now?

You wanted to say no, wanting to go home, but the way the boys were looking at you expectantly caused you to hesitate. They seemed so eager, so intrigued, as if your little drawings were the next Marvel or DC. Truth to be told, you hated your drawings - they were lackluster compared to what you saw around you, even if your teachers told you otherwise. But, you were a nice person, and you didn't want to live with the guilt of disappointing the kids. Sighing, you walked over to a bench and motioned for them to follow. Once seated, you placed your bags at your feet and dug out your sketchbook, flipping to one of your most recent "masterpieces" before handing it to Frisk. Asriel was quick to scoot closer for a better look, causing your heart to sink as you could do nothing but sit there want watch them judge your creativity. Why did you do this? What force compelled you to show your garbage art to strangers because they asked? You never did it before, so why do it now? You idiot, you stupid little--

"Wooow! Look at this. Frisk!" Said boy followed the other's gaze, a broad smile on his face as he and his goatbuddy flipped through your sketchbook. You gulped, twiddling your thumbs and waited for the worse, but all you could see were smiles on their faces and stars in their eyes. This...this couldn't have been happening, right? Was this a dream? Maybe they pitied you and was being nice? Yeah, that had to be it. There was no possible way in this universe that--

"You drew this by yourself?" Asriel asked curiously with a tilt of his head. You only nodded, having to look into your own sketchbook to see what was the fuss about. The comic they were looking at was that dragon comic yo had started a while back, but stopped trying to progress it. The story was dull, the characters weren't interesting, but it was a project you had your heart set on since you started living on your own.

You weren't sure how much time had passed since the two of them started looking - you guessed and hour - and it still baffled you how they appeared to be enjoying themselves. You wondered why, since your comic wasn't anything interesting. And yet, you watched with a slightly furrowed brow how the two read the comic carefully, reading each word the characters spoke, examining their designs, pointing out how some characters looked cool, or how some reminded them of people they knew, or how they wished they could draw as well as you. It was very odd, seeing someone enjoy your work as they did made you feel...good? Flattered? This never happened before...this was all new to you.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they finished going through your sketchbook, but had this....dissatisfied look on their faces. Ah, there it was. You expected that.

"Are you going to continue?" You weren't expecting _that_. "Those are really interesting! But...they look a bit old. You haven't drawn anymore?"

You paused and fidgeted some more. "...N-no. I, uh...I stopped. A while ago." Frisked tilted his head with a furrowed brow and, despite not having spoken a word, you seemed to have known that he was asking why you didn't continue. "I dunno, I...it's not good, so I stopped."

"Not good? But these are great!" Asriel protested with a slight pout on his muzzle. "We really wanted to see some more..."  There was that face again, that disappointed child that was let down. That seemed to be your special talent. "Well...I guess it's your comic so...if you chose not to continue, then it's your choice. But we really hope you will keep going - you're an amazing artist."

"There are better artists," you mumble, but it must have not been audible since neither Asriel or Frisk spoke up about your last statement.

"Well," the goat child said as he handed your sketchbook back "we're sorry to have taken up your time, Miss...?" You tell him your name. "Oh! You have a nice name. Anyway, we should get going. Let's meet up again sometime! We'd love to see more of your artwork!" Frisk nodded in agreement with a smile as they both stood from the bench, waving at you as they hurried off to wherever teen humans and monsters go during this time of day. You waved them off as well, before you lowered your hand where it landed on your sketchbook. Asriel's words rang through your mind as you glanced down at it, their faces still clear in your mind. Did they...genuinely like you work? Not a lot of people took interest in your art, and they really wanted you to continue the comic...

You shook your head and sighed, stowing it away in your bag before you stood and headed back to the parking garage. 

You didn't see the boys for another three days until you ran into each other at the local supermarket. It was your day off so you decided to go ahead and stock up your pantry and fridge just so you wouldn't have to worry about running out of food and supplies before you could get your next paycheck. Again, you ran into the boys after you saw them running through the aisle you were in clutching bags of chips and boxes of cookies. They stopped as soon as they saw you, wanting to say hi, and you were about to ask what they were doing by themselves when...

"Ah-ha! There you are! You thought you could escape from the Great Papyrus, but you were wrong! No human - or monster - has escaped from my constant vigil! I was the best sentry in all of the Underground! Now, you will put those items back where you found them or I will inform Toriel of your naughty behavior!"

You could only stare as a skeleton - yes, a literal skeleton - marched over to you, grasping a basket of groceries. It was obvious a monster, a tall one at that, probably around 6 ft. tall. His attire was...well, odd, consisting of a white armor and red gloves,boots and a scarf. He looked...well, ridiculous, goofy almost, like those cartoon skeletons, but somehow it...seemed fitting on him. Loud and boisterous, and spoke oddly. His brow (you were sure skeletons didn't have eyebrows) were furrowed in an attempt to look angry, but his expression immediately perked up to a more friendlier appearance when he saw you.

"Oh! Hello Human," he greeted cheerily "I apologize if the children have bothered you. They managed to evade me, the slippery snails, But worry not! I, the Great Papyrus, managed to apprehend them before they got away!" Frisk suddenly tugged at the monster's scarf (looking at it closely, it did look a bit more like a cape), getting his attention. "Hm? What is it, Frisk?" He pointed at you, still looking up at the skeleton. "...Oh, I see! So, this is the human you met the other day!"

"Yup!" Asriel chirped "She's a really good artist!"

"Really? Wowie! I never met an artist before!" You were at a loss for words, standing there awkwardly as the monsters and human spoke to you in such high regard. What was so great about you, anyway? So what, you could draw a bit...who couldn't? Besides, there were better artists out there who could draw and paint ten times better than you. "We must have been destined to meet! I too, am also an artist! A culinary artist!" You noticed Asriel and Frisk exchange looks as the skeleton rambled on about he was the greatest chef and spaghettore, what ever that was. He seemed proud of himself, with his hand over his chest, his scarf (or cape - you really didn't know) blew behind him despite there not being any sort of breeze in the entire store. Usually, people who were loud and talked a lot generally annoyed you to the point you didn't want to be anywhere around them. And yet, there was something about this monster that was...different. Yes, he was loud, yes he talked a lot, and you wouldn't deny that he was a bit obnoxious, but it wasn't to the point where it was in any way annoying. It was...endearing, in a way. The way he had such confidence about himself, and yet didn't mind sharing the spotlight with Asriel or Frisk, going on about how great they were when they helped him with his cooking, or just any other task. You had stopped listening after a while but...somehow, you had grown a small smile on your face.

"--We should be friends!" The last statement was enough to draw you out of your thoughts as you looked over at the monster, who was very excited. "Human! Let's exchange phone numbers!" It was more of a demand rather than a request, but you obliged nonetheless. He whipped out his cell phone in an instant, and the two of you exchanged numbers. You thought it would be the end of it, but you ended up shopping with the skeleton, whom you learned was named Papyrus (that would explain his regal way of speaking).  He never stopped talking, talking about every topic in existence, ranging from his friends, his brother, his previous life in the underground, his previous job as a sentry, his cooking, puzzles, and so on. And you listened; you liked hearing him speak, in which you soon learned you enjoyed his and the boys' company as well. You spent your whole time shopping with them, all three remaining at your side even when you checked out. Once outside, you were about to bid farewell, seeing that you had to go your separate ways and not wanting to be a bother, but Papyrus wasn't having none of that.

"Nonsense!" he told you "We're friends now, and as our friend, we must make sure you get back to your vehicle safely!" And before you could argue that you would be fine on your own, Papyrus had taken control of your cart and was pushing it towards your car. Well...he needed some guidance, but the gesture was appreciated. He and the kids even helped load your groceries into your car, which, again, you thanked them for. All of these kind gestures, no one has ever batted an eye, let alone said hello while you were out and about, but these monsters, who barely knew you, wanted to be your friend, and helped you with your groceries. You could understand why the kids would be nice to you, but Papyrus was a different story. Were all monsters as nice as him and Asriel?

"Let's hangout sometime!" Papyrus suggested as you closed your trunk. "Call or text me anytime!" 

"Or us!" Asriel chimed, Frisk nodding in agreement.

"I...I will. Thank you." 

You waved goodbye as they left you to your devices, you mind still in a whirlwind as you tried your best to comprehend just what happened. When you couldn't, you simply shook your head and got into your car and drove home. Once there and after you had successfully lugged your groceries up to your apartment, you were a bit surprised to see that you had received a text from Papyrus, which started out as a hello before he asked you if you wanted to hang out tomorrow. _That was fast_ , you thought, not replying right away. You had work tomorrow, so you wouldn't be able to, and while a part of you wanted to flat out decline with no explanation, another part of you was...longing for their company. Sure you had spent the last two years alone, and while you did value your solitude, it wouldn't hurt to break away from your usual routine once in a while, right? But why did you want to, all of a sudden? You were far from a social butterfly, hating being around strangers, even loathed the idea of going back out into society everyday. Why was it different now? Because two kids and a skeleton gave you the time of day?

...

"Can't, but I'm free Saturday." You sent the text before you knew it, your fingers acting on their own. You immediately regretted your decision until you got a text back from Papyrus.

"gr8! we'll meet @ my house :-]"

Another text. "and bring ur drawings 2 :-P" Oh. 

You bit you bottom lip, glancing at the easel, still in its bag, along with the sketchbook. You didn't want to bring it, but you wanted to see Asriel and Frisk's face light up again, how entranced they were by your work, those sparkling eyes that made you feel something you haven't felt in a long time.

"I will." You tossed your phone on the couch, standing in the middle of your living room, staring into space before you collapsed into the chair. Just what in the hell did you get yourself into...?

And now, there you stood, standing in front of Papyrus' house. Even looking back at it all, having the events rewind in your head multiple times, you still couldn't figure out where, when, and what got you to your current situation. Where it all went wrong, you had no idea. But how, you asked yourself, was this a bad thing? 

A steady, rhythmic knock pulled you from your thoughts. Well, it was too late to turn back now. You gulped dryly, gripping the strap to you bag even tighter as the door swung open, Papyrus' smile widening (somehow) upon seeing you. "Hello Human, Frisk," he greeted, stepping aside "Come in!"


	2. New Friends

Papyrus' house was...well, cozy, to say the least. And very homey, you realized as you followed Frisk inside (Asriel couldn't make it - some political issue came up on the monster's side and he needed to be present). "Welcome to scenic My House!" Papyrus chirped "Feel free to look around!" That was new. Usually when you visited someone's house, you couldn't go as far as the front room without seeming intrusive, and you had to ask where the bathroom was. Frisk made himself right at home, immediately going up the steps and entering the first room at the landing. That struck you as odd, so you followed behind him, stopping halfway up the stairs when you saw the child in what seemed like a bedroom, playing with some toys placed on a table.

"Ah," you heard Papyrus chuckle behind you "Frisk always liked my action figures. We often think up of different battle strategies, but he somehow beats me everytime..." Wow. And yet, you weren't surprised. Still, the idea of a tall and lanky skeleton playing an odd version of chess using toys amused you, and seeing Frisk rearrange the small figurines, frowning and re-positioning another made you smile. He looked so involved, it was adorable.

You didn't want to seem invasive, so you sat down on the couch and sat your bag at your feet. Papyrus then informed you that you could watch their TV (which looked like one of those expensive plasma screens. Where did they get the money to afford that?) while he prepared lunch. You smile and nodded politely, Papyrus immediately disappearing into the kitchen, going on about how you were going to LOVE his spaghetti. Soon, the sound of pots and pans clattering emanated from the kitchen, the smell of marinara sauce filled the air soon afterwards. Frisk was still playing with the toys in, what you assumed was Papyrus' room, leaving you alone. For a moment, you sat there awkwardly, but you gradually eased up a little and ended up feeling more comfortable than you originally anticipated.

Reaching down, you pull out your easel and your pencil case, taking out a regular no.2 pencil and started to doodle idly to pass the time. You were drawing another dragon (why wouldn't you? Dragons were cool), and had finished most of the body when Frisk came bounding back down the stairs. They saw you with your easel out, and climbed onto the couch next to you to watch. You stopped for a moment, not used to having someone watch you while you draw (outside your professor). And yet, you were comfortable around them, so you continued doodling anyway, not at all bothered by his presence.

Some more time had passed when the front door opened; Looking up, you saw another skeleton, causing you to raise an eyebrow. Oh, Papyrus did mention that he had a brother, didn't he? This had to be him, then. He was...the complete opposite of Papyrus. Short and stocky, wore a blue jacket, a t-shirt, jogging shorts and...slippers? Unlike his taller brother, this skeleton actually had little pinpricks of light in his eye sockets, a lazy grin on his face. He closed the door using his foot, burying his hands in the jacket's pockets before he walked in, pausing after see you on the couch.

He stood there and studied you for a moment, a look on his face that you couldn't place. You felt your throat go dry and you tried to keep yourself from fidgeting. Even with that big, goofy grin on his face, this monster in particular managed to unnerve you, and you didn't know why. And yet, you didn't want to seem rude; you wanted to greet him, but you lost your voice somehow, so now you looked even more awkward. Fortunately, Frisk was there to pick up the pieces.

"Hey kid," he greeted, walking right over to the couch and plopping down right next to you. Your heart immediately leapt to your throat. "Made a new friend?" Frisk nodded eagerly, the brightest grin on his face. He glanced at you, those little dots in his eyes appearing to be brighter than before. "Cool. I'm Sans. Nice to meet'cha."He held out his hand for you to shake, which you - the polite person that you were - immediately reached out to shake.

"Nice to meet y--"

_"Phbbbbbhbhbhbbfft--"_

"Wha..?" You furrowed your brow as Sans pulled his hand away snickering. You could hear Frisk snickering behind you as well, and you felt your face heat up as humiliation started to boil in you. It didn't help that you started to get flashbacks back to your days in middle school.

"Whoops," Sans grinned, returning his hand to his pocket "Usually, a lot of people find that  _humerus_."

Oh.

...OH. 

"SANS!" Papyrus poked his head into the room, glaring at his brother. "Do not disturb our new friend with your terrible jokes!"

Sans only grinned as he sat back in the couch, lazily glancing at the TV. "Cut me some slack, bro. I'm  _bone_  tired." You ended up snorting at the bad pun, despite yourself. And while he tried to hide it, Sans appeared satisfied with getting a laugh out of you.

"Tired? From what? All you do is boondoggle all day!" Boondoggle...? "And I told you to take out the trash from this morning!"

The brothers continued to bicker, so you decided to go back to your doodling. A few more minutes passed when Frisk tugged at your shirt. "Hm? What's wrong?" He pointed at himself, then at the sketchbook. "Ah...you want me to draw you?" He nodded. "Oh...okay. I can do that." That sparkle reappeared in the his eyes as you flipped to a clean page and began sketching. You were about a third of a way done when you noticed that you couldn't really tell if Frisk was a boy or a girl; you just assumed they was a boy since they always seemed to wear a blue stripped shirt and shorts, and had mannerisms similar to a little boy...Again, they were just assumptions. Frisk could be a girl for all you knew, and you felt bad for not knowing, and felt worse for trying to pin them to a gender. You didn't want to offend them either, so you did your best to draw Frisk as gender neutral as possible.

You managed to finish the initial sketch of him messing with the toys in Papyrus' room, Frisk appearing to be very happy with your work as they took the sketchbook from your lap and examined it closer. Papyrus called you all into the kitchen as he finished preparing lunch, and you gingerly took the book from the child's hands, which caused them to puff up their cheeks in a pout. "I'll finish it after lunch, okay?" you promised, walking into the kitchen. Frisk only nodded as the three of you took your seats, Papyrus trying some fancy trick with the plates that involved tossing them into the air and they would land in on the table in front of us. Key word, TRIED. One of the plates landed in the trash, another in the sink, and the last was able to land in front of Frisk, although it was upside down on the table. Said child flipped the plate into its rightful position, Sans didn't so much as flinch at any of it, and you were left to sit there like an awkward sausage. 

Papyrus then gave the three of you proper plates of spaghetti, a large helping for himself as he sat at the table. Your stomach rumbled hungrily as you looked down at the plate of pasta, immediately picking up your fork and scooping a moderate helping of noodles into your mouth.

The taste was indescribable.

Somehow, you were able to hold back a gag as the noodles hung out of your tightly pressed lips. You wanted to spit the spaghetti back out, but you knew you couldn't. You didn't want to hurt Papyrus' feelings after how nice he had treated you back at the grocery store, how much he wanted you to hang out with him, and how much he wanted you to try his cooking. What made it worse was that he believed he was a great chef, and even you believed that, until you were able to get a taste of his home cooking. You looked up at Frisk, who was sitting across from you; They were slurping the spaghetti down quickly, not bothering the chew or caring about how much sauce they were getting all over their face. You looked to your left, Sans didn't seem to be doing well either. There were noodles hanging out of his mouth, his grin was strained, and he was sweating (skeletons could sweat?). At least you weren't the only one struggling, but you didn't want to lose face either. Gritting your teeth, you slurped the noodles down and swallowed hard, trying your best to trick your taste buds into bypassing the taste. 

"This is...really good, Papyrus..!" you say tightly, resisting the urge to vomit. How you were keeping this down so far amazed you.

"R-REALLY??" Papyrus gasped, his eyes sparkling like a starry night. He composed himself a second later, regaining that confident persona. "B-But of course! After all, I, the Great Papyrus, was the greatest chef in the entire Underground!" You could only smile, going back to down the spaghetti as fast as possible, your stomach revolting against you violently. 

Eventually, you all somehow managed to finish lunch (quickly declining seconds, claiming you were full), and you decided to help Papyrus with the dishes, which he was thankful for. He talked some more, going on about his friends, his brother, his cooking, but also went on about how great you were as a friend, and how he was glad to have met you. Again, you weren't used to hearing that, so you weren't sure how to respond to it...other than murmuring a thank you.

"I don't...see how you think I'm so great," you suddenly mutter aloud. "I'm no one special..."

Papyrus was appalled. "What?? How can you say that about yourself? You really are great, as a friend and as an artist!" 

You paused again, Frisk entering the kitchen with your sketchbook in their hands. They must've really wanted you to finish that drawing. "I...I'm sorry but...n-no one's really told me anything like that...just how I was bad at everything..."

"...Human." The seriousness in the skeleton's tone was enough to look over at him. He had this determined look on his face that was different from his usual unrelenting confidence. "No one is perfect, but no one is 'bad at everything.' There may be some things certain people are good at, and some things you aren't good at, but that shouldn't stop you from trying, right?" Wow. That caught you off guard; you never thought someone like Papyrus - of all people - had that much wisdom. "To tell the truth, I'm not as great of a chef as I think I am. BUT! That's not going to stop me from tryng, because Undyne is teaching me! And I know I can become a great chef as long as I keep trying! And people who tell you that you're bad are just meanies! You shouldn't be friends with them."

You're not. That's exactly why you moved away. And yet even still, the people you moved away from managed to belittle your every move from afar. Or, perhaps it was you who was letting them get to you. Who knew that it only took a skeleton to bring that to your attention. With that on your mind, you finished helping with washing, drying and putting the dishes away, taking the sketchbook back into your hands as you went back into the living room, Sans no where in sight. You figured that he had his own business to attend to, so you were back on your spot on the couch, Frisk joining your side as you dug out your pencil case and took out a pen. After all, you did promise Frisk you would color in his picture.

Inking the lines didn't take long, and you decided to use pastels to color it all in. It only took a little while before you had completely engrossed yourself into the picture, time seemingly ticking by slowly as you worked in the bright and vibrant colors of what would have been a dull drawing otherwise. You were so involved that you didn't even notice Frisk had fallen asleep, until you went to retrieve your pencil case, only to see them leaning against you, fast asleep. You furrowed your brow, glancing at the clock on the wall and was shocked to see that it was after 5 in the evening. Time really _did_  fly, didn't it?  And you still weren't done with your picture, since most of the background still needed to be done. It was getting late, though...you had to get home.

"Huh. Poor kid must have tuckered himself out." You looked up to see Sans at the landing of the stairs, still having that lazy grin on his face. When did he get there? You didn't hear anyone going up or down the stairs, let alone anyone walking around on the second floor. How did he...?

Walking over, Sans gently picked the child up and away from you, lying him down towards the arm of the couch, placing his head on one of the pillows and covering his slumbering form with a fleece blanket that was draped over the back of the couch. "He'll be fine," Sans informed you, as if reading your thoughts "Frisk usually takes their nap around this time."

"Oh." 

Silence. Sans continued to stand there, watching Frisk for a moment before his attention went back to you. Again, that feeling of unease came back, but it wasn't as bad as it was when you first arrived. For a monster who looked like a ball to be around, he scared you a bit, and you couldn't understand why.

"Um," you finally spoke up, swallowing the lump in your throat. "I-I should get going too. I d-don't want to get in your way or anything."

"Who said you were?" Sans raised an eyebrow(?) at you, his smile appearing to fall just a bit. 

"W-well....no one, but--"

"So why would you assume you were in our way when we were happy to have you here?" Sans' eyes narrowed, causing you to fidget in your seat. He was looking through you, you realized. It was a feeling you got, as you sat there, the short skeleton boring into your very soul.

"B-because," you tried to argue "people often pretend to like you when...when in fact they don't. They just put up with you because you're a friend or a friend or...a part of the family..." Your voice lowered as you uttered the last part of the sentence, beginning to twiddle with your chalk-smeared fingers. "People lie all the time...they hide their true feelings, pretending to feel a certain way just so they won't lose face..."

"That might be true for humans, but we monsters are different." Glancing back up at Sans, you saw that his gaze as softened a bit. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to you, his gaze ahead of him. "Listen pal, I don't really know how it works for you, but when a monster tells you they like you, they _mean_ it. If we don't, we'll tell you up front. The only time we hide anything from anyone is to protect them." He gave you a sideways glance, those small white dots a little brighter than before. "The kids like you. My brother likes you. And I've known all three long enough to know that they would never lie about how they feel. We only want to be your friend...alright?"

You were silent, unable to find the right words to form a proper sentence. You couldn't deny that the skeleton brothers and the children treated you much better than any human you ever made contact with. They liked your artwork, wanted to be around you, only said nice things about you...They made you...feel good, really. You haven't felt like this in years, really. Perhaps Sans was right...

"Welp," Sans spoke up, hopping off the couch as he glanced at you again "You said you needed to get home, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah..."

"Come on, then," he said, walking over to the door. "I'll walk ya back."

You wanted to tell him that you could walk back on your own, but held your tongue as you packed up your things and followed Sans out the door. You'd have to give Frisk their picture later.

It was the middle of spring, the evening air was cool, but pleasant. Your long-sleeved shirt did well to protect you from the cold, although you wished you wore sneakers instead of sandals. New plant life was blooming, sprouts of flowers having grown buds, the trees were covered in bright green as their leaves began to grow back. With the seasons still in the middle of changing, it still got dark pretty early, but not as early as it did in the winter months. The two of you walked in relative silence, Sans sharing his jokes in hopes of getting a reaction from you. They were all bad, but they somehow got a laugh out of you, which made Sans' grin even wider, you noticed.

"What kind of food does a vegan skeleton eat?" he suddenly asked you.

You shook your head, but humored him anyway. "I don't know. What?"

His grin grew wider. " _Organ-ic._ "

"Oh my god," you snorted, but had an equally large smile on your face. You had loosened up since you left the skeleton brothers' house, no longer tense and nervous. In fact, you were feeling a bit bold, so you decided to tell a joke of your own. Granted, it was one you heard way back in middle school, but it couldn't have been worse than Sans' puns. "Okay, I have one," you say "Would you forget me in a week?"

Sans glanced at you. "No."

"Would you forget me in a month?"

"No."

"Would you forget me in a year?"

"No."

"Knock knock."

"Who's there?"

You turned towards him and pretended to pout. "I thought you said you wouldn't forget me!"

Sans paused, then suddenly burst into a fit of laughter, burying his face into his hand as he practically stumbled forward. You couldn't help but to smile - you made someone laugh! And not one of those pity laughs either, but a genuine laugh you would hear if someone heard or saw something funny. Your heart fluttered...you felt...proud..?

"Oh man," Sans giggled, wiping a tear out of his eye "Never heard that one before. You're good. I like that one."

"I heard it in 5th grade," you tell him "I haven't heard it in years. I'm surprised I remembered it word-for-word..." You then saw your apartment come into view just a few houses down the block. "Oh, that's my place." You walked up to the stone steps, Sans right behind you as you entered the building. Two flights of stairs of later and you reached your apartment; It didn't look like Sans was going anywhere anytime soon, but, honestly? You really enjoyed his company. You wouldn't mind if he stayed with you for a little while before he returned home...in fact,you hoped he did.

"W-well," you murmured, unlocking the front door "thanks for walking me home. I appreciate it.." Sans only shrugged nonchalantly, watching you toss your keys on the table as you entered your home.

"No problem."

Setting your bag on the couch, you looked around your apartment to see that everything was in order, and you turned on the light switch to light up the area, since the setting sun wasn't proving too much of a light source. "You can come in if you want. It's messy but--" When you turned around back to the door, you were met in an empty space where Sans once stood. He was....gone? He didn't say anything, and you didn't hear him leave either (and given how the floor in the hallway always creak when someone walked on it, it was impossible to not know if anyone was there), so where could he have disappeared to so quickly, and so quietly? That skeleton was full of mysteries, it seemed.

Nonetheless, you closed the door and locked it, standing at the door for a few seconds before you managed to pry yourself away and let yourself sink into the couch. Today was...pretty eventful, but fun. When was the last time you ever had fun...? Sure you were awkward, tense and uncomfortable at first, but after you let yourself loosen up and actually enjoy your time out, you ended up having the time of your life. In fact, you couldn't wait to go back out and hang with them again. Besides, you needed to finish Frisk's picture and give it to him. Speaking of, you reached over and pulled your sketchbook and pencil case from your bag, taking out the pastels and started coloring again.

Ten minutes in, your phone went off as you received a text. You figured that it was Papyrus, but you were surprised to see that it was Sans instead...greeting you with another pun. You chuckled softly, sending a snarky reply before you went back to the picture, a small smile creeping on your face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the slow start, but I don't wanna bombard anyone with the heavy stuff yet. Also, I know Frisk is ambiguous in gender, and referring them as a "he" was not a mistake in the last chapter. The reader assumed they were a boy, but let's face it - Frisk's in-game model looks like a little boy. Just wanted to point that out. I'm also bad at puns.


	3. Art Blocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For future reference:  
> [y/n] = your name

The days that followed were normal, at least for your standards. Now that you made friends with the monsters and Frisk, they became another element into your life. While you couldn't hang out with them everyday, you all kept in contact through texting. Papyrus texted you on a daily basis, often asking how you were doing, when would you be available to come visit, and told you about his and his brother's activities. Sans texted you too, although he mostly sent you more of his bad jokes, which you would sometimes reply with one of your own. But you mostly sent "omg"s and "please stop"s whenever you got those messages in particular. Asriel and Frisk didn't text as habitually as Sans and Papyrus, which was to be expected since they had school and ambassador business to tend to. You did manage to give Frisk their picture (which they loved - Asriel informed you its hanging up on the wall above their bed), and you promise to draw one for Asriel as well.

In fact, you ended up drawing pictures of all of them over the following days. Asriel's picture featured him with a golden flower crown, sitting in a small flower bed of more golden flowers, you had one of Papyrus in his confident post, his scarf waving in the wind, and you decided to draw Sans up on a stage doing a stand-up routine, his infamous shit eating grin as clear as day. They even inspired you to finish your comic, which you ended up adding more to it after seeing how much the children liked them. Because of their influence in your life, you didn't dread the upcoming day like you used to, now looking forward to coming home from work and class and adding more to the comics, or going over to the skeletons' house to hang out on your days off. It was the first time in years, but you were finally enjoying life again.

Three weeks had passed since then, and you had adjusted to your relatively new lifestyle pretty well. It was a particularly cloudy day and you were stuck in class; fortunately, there wasn't a lecture that day, but more of a "draw something and hope the professor likes it" type of day. You decided to use that time to continue your comic, since you were at least two pages away from finishing the current chapter. As always, the professor came by to look at your progress, and he seemed pleased by it. Like he always is.

"Although," he spoke up, causing your heart to sink "while I like what you're doing with this, I can't help but to feel like you're not exactly tapping into your true potential. It's almost as if you're holding yourself back." He gave you a patient smile, one an elderly person would give a child. "I told you before that I enjoy your characters, but...they seem to lack...emotion. Movement. As the artist, it is up to you to make these characters come to life, to reach out to the viewer and captivate them. So, keep working hard." 

He squeezed your shoulder reassuringly before he went on to check on the other students, leaving you to your thoughts. You respected the aged professor for more than one reason, but mostly because he has been patient with you since you started attending his classes. Still, what he told you was true; you skimmed back at the previous pages and saw something you managed to overlook. Your characters had virtually the same expression in each panel, their movements only consisted of an arm movement or when they walked off-panel, and even then they looked stiff. You inwardly cringed, hating yourself for making such a mistake that ever other comic writer seemed to avoid with ease. Looks like you wouldn't be finishing the chapter after all...Hell, you were thinking about redoing the whole thing just so it would be readable.

Of course, expressions and movement was something your struggled with, but you were too ashamed to ask for help...and besides, you lost your drive to draw anything else after seeing yourself make such a flub. Maybe you could find some time to practice later... With a defeated sigh, you started to pack up your comic, only to feel a tap on your shoulder. You glanced back, raising an eyebrow when you saw that it was another student. You didn't know her, other than that her station was behind yours, and that she had a friend she always talked to whenever they were in class. The two of you never talked, even when you first started coming here...what was this all of a sudden?

"[Y/n], right?" she asked, where you nodded. "Hi. I'm, um, Kelly. My station's right behind yours." You knew that already, but you bit your tongue. "Listen, I know we've never talked or anything like that but, I've been watching you for a while now." She glanced down at your now closed comic book, and that sense of unease began to rise in you, causing you to fidget in your seat. "And, I couldn't help but to notice...you want to make comics?"

"W-well, yes?" you murmured, placing a protective hand over your work. 

"Why?" she asked "Comics aren't real art."

 _Oh._ "Wh-what..?"

She sat in the empty station next to yours, crossing her legs. "Listen, I know you've been working hard on those for a long time but, why waste your time on something so... _childish_? What's the point of making little cartoons in a book?"

"They're not cartoons," you protest weakly "I-I mean, yes they're drawings, but it also gives someone the chance to insert a story, and make the characters seem more alive. P-plus, the readers get the see the characters, the environments, the conflicts...And...and when they're done right, the story in the comics can be more engrossing than a book!...Um...th-that's why I want to do comics. I always liked writing too, but I wanted to make illustrations so...why not combine them?"

"But, why?" she pressed "It seems so pointless, wasting all of your time and effort, investing in something that no one may never get to see." You furrowed your brow quizzically at the woman. Who said no one would read it...? "I mean, you'd be lucky enough just to get it published!"

"...What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well..." She paused, licking her lips as she carefully chose her words. "...No offense, honey, but...I'm not doubting your skill, but people...people may not want to see something made by...someone of your..." She motioned at your entire being awkwardly, causing you to look down at yourself with a deep frown. You weren't exactly a model in comparison to Kelly, who was a blonde that could have been on the cover of every magazine in the grocery store; You were chubbier, shorter, and darker skinned. You didn't wear expensive clothes, perfectly content with over sized sweaters and hoodies, jeans, the same pair of boots you've owned for at least three years now, and you kept your hair back in a loose ponytail. It was at that moment when you realized what this woman was getting at, making your blood boil.

"...Oh, I get it," you murmured "You think just because I'm not as privileged as you are and of a different skin color, that people will turn their nose up at my work. That I should just give up on my dreams, despite the fact that I deserve a fair chance to reach my goal just like any other human being."

"I didn't say--"

"Maybe you didn't say it word-for-word, but that's what you meant." You had raised your voice some - you weren't yelling, but you were loud enough for the whole classroom to hear now. "Don't worry. I heard you loud and clear." You grabbed your book and pencil case and hastily stuffed it into your bag before abruptly standing up, glaring at Kelly. "By the way, you're not the first one to tell me that." Your body trembled from your rage, even your voice cracked. "I've been ridiculed for wanting to make a career of my passion, my hopes and dreams are always shot down and grinded into dust. But I hope you manage to be successful one day..."

Everyone in the classroom was looking at you, but you really didn't care at this point. You exited the room quickly without bothering to see Kelly's reaction, murmuring an apology to your professor for leaving class early. You kept your head low as you stormed off campus, pulling your hood over your head and gripping the strap to your bag so tight that your knuckles began to turn white. You were angry. You were so, _so_ angry...! Why...why did it seem like the entire world was conspiring against you? What was so wrong with doing what made you happy? First your family and now the people you went to class with? Was the world set out to make it so you would fail, was that it?? You were so worked up that you failed to realize you had hot tears streaming down your face until a cool gust of wind blew them down to your neck. Sniffling, you went to wipe them away without anyone noticing, only to bump into someone due from not paying attention.

"A-ah! S-sorry...!" You looked up, only to meet the studious gaze of a certain short skeleton. "Oh, S-Sans," you sniffed "Sorry...I...I didn't see you..." You expected some sort of snarky remark or pun about how you were short sighted or something (you were around Sans' height, if not a head taller), but when you were only met with silence, you looked at him again, only to see that he hadn't stopped staring at you. But what caught your attention was that his grin had fell so to where it almost looked like he was frowning. For someone like Sans, you didn't think that was possible. His stare didn't relent, causing you to fidget uncomfortably where you stood.

"You okay?" he suddenly asked. You went to lie and say that you were fine, but the look Sans was giving you made you decide against it. Besides, he already knew the answer, so you really didn't have to say anything. "I thought you had class?"

"I-I was, b...but I left early..." Another pause. "...Um...s...so, what are you doing?"

"Working."

That was news to you. "Wait...you work?"

"Yeah." He winked at you, his grin returning. "You can say I work myself to the bone."

"I hate you," you glare, but you couldn't help but to chuckle a bit. It probably was one of the rare times you would be glad to hear a bad pun. It was then when you noticed that you were in front of a hot dog stand, placed conveniently near campus. From a business stand point, it was a good spot to place a hot dog stand - with college students living off of a fixed budget, having a food stall provide quick, easy and cheap meals on the go and so close to a campus, someone could make easy money here. And looking at the almost full tip jar on the counter, Sans was doing just that. Still, given how people were still a bit tense about monsters back on the surface, it amazed you Sans was doing well.

"Anyway," he spoke up, drawing you from your thoughts. "I was headin' off for my lunch break."

"Oh." You watched him as he flipped the sign from "Open" to "Closed," taking the money from the tip jar and leaving the empty jar on the counter. You wondered how well the other students would take that as Sans began to walk off, leaving you standing there shuffling your feet.

"...Hey." You jumped,looking up to see Sans looking back at you, those white lights boring into you. "I know you're not gonna stand there when I'm buyin' ya lunch." 

"O-oh..!" You hastily joined his side, where he continued walking at his own, lazy pace. "Sorry..." He only shrugged, his nonchalant attitude causing you to relax a bit. You were surprised he didn't ask you why you were crying, but you figured that he decided not to ask, not wanting to pry into your business and make you uncomfortable. Then again, you weren't really sure just what the skeleton was thinking. In the short weeks that you've known him, Sans was just one monster you couldn't figure out. Hell, you knew Papyrus better than you did him!

The walk was relatively uneventful as the two of you walked in silence, not a pun was shared between you this time around. However, you couldn't help but to notice people kept giving you odd looks, your stomach dropping from the constant, judging glances. It was expected, since people were still trying to adjust to humans and monsters interacting with one another after so long. Sans on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered by it; he kept his gaze straight ahead, hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, that same lazy grin stretched on his face. For a moment, you envied the stocky monster, wishing you could have that same relaxed persona and not have a care in the world. It'd make your life much easier.

Some time had passed before the two of you made it back into the main areas of town, Sans leading you to this quaint little bar that had a neon sign that read "Grillby's" at the top of the building. You remember having passing this place on numerous occasions during your outings, but never once went into the place. You knew that this was a bar that was in the underground before the owner moved it to the surface once the barrier was broken. Inside, you weren't surprised to see that most of the patrons were monsters since it was a monster owned business, but there were a handful of humans scattered around the building as well. And, despite the intimidating and odd-looking monsters everywhere, you felt...cozy.

You both took your seats in a booth near the bar, a waiter - a monster completely made of fire (how did his clothes not burn?) - coming over to take your orders. Sans ordered a burger and you settled for fries, not exactly having an appetite. You waited in silence as well, Sans looking off into space while you were staring at your twiddling thumbs. The silence was deafening, even where the entire bar was bustling with noise from the other patrons. You wanted to say something, anything...hell, a pun would be great right about now. But your mind as blank, you searched your brain but found nothing, no sort of topic you could bring up, making you feel even more awkward.

"So, why did you leave class early?"

"Huh..?" You looked up, seeing Sans leaning against his arms, his cheekbone resting in his palm. His eyes were trained on you, a half-lidded gaze that appeared harmless, but you could feel Sans staring into your very being, searching for the answer himself. You bit down on your bottom lip, not wanting to tell him what happened between you and Kelly, but you didn't want to lie either. "Um....w-well..." you started, glancing back down at your hands "S...something came up."

"...Ok then." Sans sat up and laid back against the seat of the booth; he didn't ask further, but you could tell from his face that he wasn't satisfied with your answer. That "something" had to be pretty hefty, especially if it made you stomp down the street with tears running down your eyes. "What ever it was must've been pretty bad, huh? You looked like you were upset and in a hurry." God. Dammit. You couldn't hide anything from this guy, could you?

"Y-yeah..." And now you felt bad for not telling. Great. But at least you didn't lie, right? Something _did_ come up, and you couldn't bear to stay in the classroom because of that same something because you didn't want to remain in the same classroom with that something so she could watch you squirm and eventually boil over in anger, thus making the situation worse. No, you made the right choice by leaving when you did, but you'd have to find a way to explain that to your professor. Oh well...at least you didn't have class tomorrow.

Your food finally came, the waiter placing your plates in front of you. Sans immediately went for the ketchup, but what struck you as odd is that he just started piling the red substance on _top_ of the bun. You raised your eyebrow at that, but decided not to question it; After all, monsters ate different food than humans, meaning that they had different eating habits. You reached for the other ketchup bottle, piling on the same liquid tomato condiment on your fries in the same manner. A small pool of the stuff had formed in the middle of the fries, and by the time you stopped, you happened you look over at Sans, who was eyeing you curiously. Embarrassed, you looked away, your face heating up when you realized that you also had odd eating habits.

"Um," you murmured "I...I can't eat fries unless they're literally drowning in ketchup, or else it won't be enough. F-for me, at least..." Sans raised a brow (how?), but said nothing. You ate without saying much else, but you didn't want another awkward silence to hang over you two again. Besides, it felt like Sans was trying to get something out of you, but was patient enough to allow you to share what it was when you were ready. Not that you were surprised - he was lazy enough to not put any effort into egging it out of you himself. But bothered you was the fact that he was good at it. Startling so.

"...Hey, Sans...i-if there was something you liked doing because it made you happy and you wanted to make a living out of it...is that bad?"

A short pause, those little white orbs in his eyes glowing brighter. "No."

"But...what if...for all your life people kept telling you it was a waste of time...and after a while you start to believe it--"

"You shouldn't." Sans was leaning on his hand again, one eye close while the other stared directly into yours. 

"Even if they were fa--friends?"

"...Listen pal, if you have friends that are telling you your dream is a waste of time...then they're not really your friends." He shifted, one arm resting on the table and the other messing with the cap to the ketchup bottle. "People who do that can't find happiness for themselves, so when they see you with something they want, they become jealous. They'll begin to feel like they're entitled to that of what you have, and that you don't deserve that despite having worked hard to get to that point. So they will do what they can to take that away from you, to bring you down to their level. Maybe even lower." He took a swig of the ketchup, straight from the bottle. "People like that are toxic. They'll leech off of you until they're nothing but a husk of what you used to be, then leave you there to dry when you need them the most."

He fell silent, but his gaze never left from you. "Who are these friends of yours, anyway?"

"...We're not friends anymore," you murmur "Actually, we never were to begin with.."

You heard Sans release what sounded like a hum before he called for the waiter again. He hadn't touched his burger, you noticed, but he had it wrapped up in a doggy bag while you're mostly empty plate was taken to the back. "Thanks Grillby," Sans stated, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few bills. 

"I can pay for that, Sans," you offer, reaching for your wallet. It was the least you could do after he treated you to lunch, after all.

"Nah. I got it."

"But...you need your money!"

"So do you." He winked at you again, paying for the meals in full before he stood from the booth, glancing at you again. "Now c'mon. Lemme walk you home." You stared at the skeleton with an incredulous look before you shook your head and rose from the booth as well. The two of you stepped out into the cool spring evening, you zipping up your hoodie to block out the cooler winds. As you walked away from the bar, believe it or not, you actually felt...better. You weren't sure what it was; the cozy bar, talking to Sans, getting advice from him..Maybe it as all of that, or maybe not. You may not ever know, but at least now you knew the real reason behind why no one really wanted to support your dreams. And you were now even more determined to prove them wrong. But first...

"...Hey Sans." He turned toward you lazily, and you continued without missing a beat. "How much does a barrel of bones weigh?"

He shrugged. "I dunno."

"A _skele-ton_." 

A loud snorting laugh escaped the monster, causing a small grin to appear on your face. Maybe you could figure out a way to properly repay him later, but for now, your bad jokes seemed to have been enough. And that's how you spent your walk home, exchanging bad puns and laughing through the sunset. And, honestly? You couldn't have asked for more.


	4. Nightmare

You stared blankly at the TV, not at all paying attention to the news report going across the screen. It was raining outside, the pitter-patter of the rain overtaking the noise of the television. You glanced around the small hotel room, trying to find something else to look at, but found nothing else of interest. You huffed out a sigh through your nose, climbing out of the bed and over to the table; your easel bag was nestled safely in the chair, all of your equipment still safe with you. You reached for your sketchbook, then paused...Even if you wanted to draw, what good would it do you now? Besides, you couldn't even think of anything you could even doodle on the paper, nothing worth your time, anyway. So you took the notebook instead.

Besides drawing, you liked to write too. Short stories, long stories, poetry...what ever came to your mind, you wrote it down. You made the mistake to write down your own thoughts...and grew to regret it a bit too soon than you would have liked. You never wrote down any thing regarding to your feelings and thoughts since then. Not that you minded - as an avid reader growing up, your brain always thought up of these cool new ideas for a book, or at least something short and sweet. It was a hobby that helped you cope, especially during these very trying times.

Opening the notebook, you skimmed through you old stories, most of which had went unfinished. There were some other notes scribbled in as well, mostly just ideas you had came up with on a whim and decided to write them down for a future reference so you could work on them later. Out of the few you had, you only went on to write about one, and that also went unfinished. That seemed to be a sort of trend with you, didn't it?

Nonetheless, you found a new page and started jotting down the first thing that came to your mind. Being the teen nerd you were, the story you wrote was some cheesy vampire love story (but still better than Twilight). You squealed and gushed over your own work, not caring about how predictable it was as it was only something to keep your mind off of the negativity. It was then when you started to feel a sense of peace, enjoying having the hotel room to yourself and being alone with your imagination to create what you pleased. Times like these were cherished down to the last minute, and you were going to be sure to do just that.

* * *

 A loud bang suddenly erupted through the room, causing you to wake with a jolt. You rub your eyes groggily, glancing outside to see that the rain had stopped, but it had gotten dark out. You ended up falling asleep as you wrote, the silence lulling you to sleep in the midst of your creativity buzz. Of course, good things couldn't last forever, and your time alone was no exception. Your chest felt heavy once the sleepiness left your eyes, and you could see the staggering figure of your mother enter the room. She had been gone since that morning, leaving you by yourself for the whole day. You didn't need much - the TV provided some entertainment, and your handheld games were there in case there was nothing showing of interest. Plus, you had your easel and notebook, which you frequently used to sate your boredom.

You remained silent, closely watching your mother struggle with trying to close the door while trying to keep herself steady. You felt tense and apprehensive, knowing that the person in front of you was volatile and unpredictable. It was like you were trapped in a cage with a wild animal, not wanting to breathe, not wanting to move, not wanting to do anything that would set her off where you had no hopes of escape.

Eventually, your mom walked over to the bed, immediately collapsing on the bed and just sat there, hunched over and breathing heavily. You licked your lips nervously, making sure that she remained on the bed before you went back to your writing, your pace much slower than it was before. A few minutes passed and you were still met with silence, so you allowed yourself to become engrossed in your current progress, wanting to get as much down as possible before the inevitable would show its ugly face. And that same ugly face happened to belong to the person you shared the room with. 

"What are you doing?"

Speak of the devil.

You jumped slightly, quickly glancing at her before glancing back down at your notebook. "N-nothing," you murmured "just writing."

"Writing what?" 

You mentally cringed, looking up only to be met with an accusing glare from your mother. She was in a disheveled shape; clothes were wrinkled and sloppy, hair was a mess, her shoes were untied, and her eyes were wide and bloodshot, dark bags settling right under her eyes. And while you weren't close enough to tell, you knew she hadn't bathed or brushed her teeth. But regardless of her hygiene, you made sure you took care of yourself despite the circumstances. Still, after having been through this cycle on numerous occasions before, you were still nervous about what she would do, depending on your answer. But there was never a right answer when it came to her.

"...A story," you eventually mumble, since lying would be worse.

"You're lying," she immediately accused, causing you to sigh heavily. The worst part about it is that you couldn't argue with her otherwise.

"Why would I lie about--" She suddenly stormed over and snatched your notebook right from your grasp. "H-hey--!"

"So you're writing shit about me, is that it??" She went through the pages, crumbling and wrinkling up every page as she nearly ripped off each piece of paper from the metal spine. "Writing down your thoughts behind my back, huh?!"

A look of exasperation and fear crossed your features as you could only stare in disbelief. Her name is never mentioned in the contents of your notebook, only stories and storyboards, all of which had nothing to relate to her, you or anyone or anything else going on in the current world. "No! I was just--"

"Writing letters to them, weren't you? I knew it! You're plotting against me! You want them to put me away!!"

"THEY'RE JUST STORIES!" You caught yourself just in time to see that you had stood up from the chair in defense. You were visibly shaking, your hand tightly clenched in a fist against the wooden table as you did your best not to look away from your mother's crazed expression. "I have written nothing about you in there! I don't write down my thoughts, I don't do anything behind your back, I just want to write stuff for a book! And even if I wrote letters, who could I send it too? I don't have envelopes, no addresses, and there isn't mailbox within another quarter mile!"

"So you were writing letters..." You bit down on your bottom lip in frustration, everything you just said going in through one ear and out the other. "Who were you writing to?!"

"Mom--"

"WHO WERE YOU WRITING TO?!"

"NO ONE YOU PARANOID LUNATIC!!"

Something struck your left cheek hard, causing you to stagger backwards and almost trip over the chair. You gritted your teeth, pain erupting through the entire left side of your face as you looked up to face your mother's wrathful glare. 

"You ungrateful little bitch!" she seethed "Where would you be without me, huh?! NO WHERE! no one cares about you! You're ugly! You're stupid! You're fat! You're useless! You're a NOBODY!" She hit you again, causing you to whimper as you fell back in the chair this time. You could feel the tears pricking at your eyes. "And THIS," she growled, violently shaking your notebook in your face. "You won't be needing this anymore!" 

You cringed as you watched her rip out pages by the handful, ripping them into pieces and throwing them to the floor. You couldn't bear to watch all of your hard work be destroyed right in front of you, so you let your head lower, the tears freely falling from your eyes and into your hands. You heard your mom spout out something else, but you didn't hear her, until she threw what was left of your notebook into your lap before she stomped towards the door.

"CLEAN THAT UP!" 

The door slammed shut with so much force the entire room vibrated, but you remained in the chair. Warm, salty tears had completely obscured your vision, your face still stung from the blows, which you know will leave visible bruises even on your dark skin by the next day. Your entire body was shaking, from the pain, from fear, from anger...all of which boiled over until you could do nothing but sit there and sob pitifully into your lap. Why did this keep happening? What did you do to deserve this? ...What was the point of even being here...? What was the point of caring anymore...? These questions continued to go through your mind repeatedly, just barely audible over your violent sobs.

Those thoughts were soon replaced by your mother's previous attacks. Her words, her strikes, your other possessions she broken...they replayed through your mind like a VHS tape stuck in  a loop. Her words suddenly turned melded with your own thoughts, the images began to blur, replaced with more disturbing images of cut flesh, blood coating everything around it.

Your mom hated you.

You were the problem.

You were always the problem.

Why were you even born?

Why did you continue to live?

What was the point of your existence?

You're disgusting.

Pathetic.

A waste of space.

A nobody.

You suddenly got up from your chair, stepping over what used to be your notebook and dug through your easel bag. Your fingers graze across the smooth surface of your pencil case, and you immediately pull it out of the bag. You open one of the other compartments, one you didn't even use for your art supplies, as one single object sat alone in the otherwise unused space.

A straight razor.

You went straight to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it as an extra precaution. You rolled up your sleeve, dark, bruised scars of your previous sessions all over your arms and wrist. You couldn't find a clean area to begin, all the other scars too close to each other and the risk of agitating or putting in infection was high. You rolled of your other sleeve, your left arm not as damaged as the other. There was a bottle of peroxide on the sink, a small bag of cotton ball in the medicine cabinet. You cleaned the razor thoroughly to make sure it was clean, drying it off before you returned the items to their rightful place. The toilet lid fell with a bang, you taking your seat before you turned towards the sink, placing your arm far enough over the drain.

You began to cut into your skin.

* * *

 

You wake with a jolt, the sheets uncomfortably cold, sticky and wet. You reach up to rub your eyes, only to feel something wet on your hand; pulling it away, you saw that it was tears. You were crying in your sleep. Sighing heavily, you sat up in your bed, the room feeling a lot colder than usual. As you reached over to get your phone, you could see your hand visibly shaking, your old scars sometimes coming into view. Gritting your teeth, you grabbed your phone from the end table and checked the time. It was close to 8am. And it was a work day.

This would be the first time you were ever happy about going to work; It will give you a chance to keep your mind busy, to keep the dreams away. To keep the memories at bay.

After a quick shower and other hygiene care, you dressed and walked straight out the door, not even having an appetite only wanting to get the day over with. Everything in hand, you nearly dragged yourself out of your apartment, the dark, cloudy skies matching your mood as you once again walked out into the cool spring air. The walk there was the same as always, except you got a text from Papyrus asking if you wanted to hang out later. You really weren't paying attention, your thoughts somewhere else, but you ended up telling him that you were free Friday, but you had to work at the moment. You then stuffed your phone back into your pocket, not bothering to wait for his reply as you clocked in and went straight to the back of the store.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter this time around, but this chapter mostly explores a bit of the reader's background. This was...particularly hard for me to write since most of this was inspired from my own personal experiences. Hopefully it was good enough.


	5. Good Moods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A more relaxing chapter after the last one - everyone needs friends to keep the nightmares away.
> 
> Also, I want to thank everyone who has been reading this and enjoying every chapter so far. Again, this story draws from most of my personal experiences with the same subject, so to see people enjoy reading this makes me incredible happy. Thank you all so much!
> 
> I also took the liberty of going back to previous chapters and fixing errors. Papyrus no longer talks in caps either (it looked so wrong, I had to fix it. It'd be better if I could type what he says in the same font).

Work seemed to drag on slowly today. While you had a hefty workload and carried out your tasks efficiently, time still felt it had slowed down considerably.  Did time really slow down, or were you still hung up on your nightmare last night? No...it wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory. One you had hoped to bury into the deep void of your mind, never to resurface. Sure you could suppress them for a while, but it's only a matter of time before they resurfaced again, usually in the form of a dream, or a nightmare to be more accurate. These incidents used to happen often until about a year ago, where they just....stopped. Of course, you were relieved, no longer having to have up in a cold sweat, body trembling and worrying if the person you feared was just in the other room. It was Hell.

You shook your head, not wanting to think about another year or more of little to no sleep. Stocking the shelves. That was more important. You had a job to do, a job that you got paid for. A job that paid for your classes, your bills, your food, clothes...you needed full concentration to do your job correctly. The last thing you needed was to get fired, right? If only you had your iPod...you hated the fact you left it in your room when you left but...nothing you could do about it now. The songs that played over the store's speakers would have to do for right now.

You ended up in the grocery area of the store; in one of the aisles, you were stocking jars of marinara sauce, causing your nose to scrunch up as the taste of Papyrus' spaghetti was  _still_  on your taste buds. Still, it made you smile a little as much fonder memories of your day at the skeletons' household. It was...a fun day, despite the simplicity of your activities. The spaghetti, however, wasn't a very fond memory. How Frisk and Sans were able to down that stuff on a regular basis amazed you, since you were so close to spitting it out the moment it hit your tongue.

Someone calls your name, causing you to look up from the jars. You were pleasantly surprised to see Asriel and Frisk walking over to you, and you noticed that Asriel was clutching something in his paws. You stood, furrowing your brow as you focused on the object, which turned out to be a golden flower...with a face? You had to blink several times to make sure you wasn't hallucinating, but there was definitely a face on that flower. It had to have been a monster, right? You have seen plant-like monsters before, many of which were sometimes around the size as the flower in Asriel's paws, but there was something...off about it, making you believe that the flower wasn't really a monster at all. So it was a regular flower? But normal flowers don't have faces either! Didn't help that the flower was in an old boot either.

"Howdy!" Asriel chirped cheerily, he and Frisk walking over as if nothing was wrong. The flower seemed to have reacted, glancing at you with a mild curiosity. Yup, it was definitely alive, so you couldn't dismiss it as a toy of some sort. 

"Hey you too," you say wearily "Shouldn't you two be in school right now? And why are you two on your own?"

Frisk quickly shook their head. "We're not here on our own. Mom's with us too," Asriel explained. He noticed you glancing at the flower, who seemed to be getting agitated with your staring. "Oh! Right, [y/n], this is Goldie. Frisk and I are taking care of them!" Asriel extended the little flower towards you, causing you to look at it awkwardly. The flower wasn't too thrilled either, but stuck out its leaf towards you with an expectant look. Socially awkward or not, you recognized the gesture...so you gingerly took Goldie's leaf between your index finger and thumb, and shook gently.

"Um..hello Goldie. Nice to meet you." Goldie made a gesture that looked like a shrug. This was weird. Way too weird for your liking. "So, uhm, what brings you two here?"

"Mom wanted to shop," Asriel explained "and we decided to look for a pot for Goldie. The last one we had broke, and Goldie's been kinda mad since then." Well, if someone broke your flower pot and you had to sit in an old boot, you'd be kinda pissed too. Then again, you always thought flowers didn't care where they grew as long as they had soil, water and sunlight. "We're glad we ran into you! We need help finding the flower pots."

"Alright," you say "Let me finish up here and I'll lead you two there. Stay here until then, alright?"

"Yes ma'am." Frisk texted their mom telling them where they were, and from what you could understand, she didn't seem to mind as long as they were safe. You made sure to keep an eye on the kids while you finished up stocking up the aisle. It took you a while, since you had other items to stock other than the sauce, but you managed to finished within an half an hour. You then guided the child pair through the store, leading them to the gardening department where the pots were. Asriel and Frisk made conversation with you, mostly asking how were you since you last saw them. Of course, you told them you were fine, not wanting to mention the fact you felt like garbage and wanted to lock yourself in your room until the end of time, letting yourself slowly rot away until you no longer exist. But you kept that to yourself - the last thing you wanted to do was scare the poor children.

Right. Flower pots. There was some decently sized ones that could easily accommodate Goldie's size, but Asiel insisted that you allowed Goldie to pick. Still odd, but you obliged anyway. Goldie freaked you out anyway - let the flower pick out its own pot as long as you don't have to get too close to it. Fortunately, Goldie wasn't particularly picky, pointing their leaf at one of the smaller pots clay pots. You handed the item to Frisk, and both kids seemed to be relieved - even Goldie seemed to lighten up a bit, but still wore that blank expression.

With the new flower pot in tow, you offered to escort them back to their mom, lest you wanted them to wander around the big store on their own. Frisk once again texted their mom, in which they told you she was in the kids' clothing department. The area wasn't too far from where you were now, so tracking her down was not at all an arduous task as one would expect when locating someone in a large store. When you found her, you weren't too surprised to see that it was a monster (you deduced that since both Asriel and Frisk had one mom, one of them had to be adopted); another white goat like Asriel, small horns protruding from the top of her head. She wore a nice purple blouse and skirt with a white flower pattern, a little purse strapped to her shoulder. Both children bounded towards her, causing her to look up from her phone and smile as the kids approached.

"There you two are," she chuckled, rubbing both of their heads. "I see you found the flower pot. Maybe now you two will be more careful." 

"We will!" 

You watched from where you stood, not wanting to get any closer. You suddenly felt...intrusive, as if this was one of those picture-perfect family scenes you see on TV. It was bad enough you had to stand there looking awkward, but now you felt like you would ruin this perfect family if you allowed your presence to be known to them. They found their mom, what purpose did you have to be there? You had to get back to work anyway...there were some more boxes in the back that needed to--

"Hello." You jumped a little, suddenly finding the monster woman before you, the children at both of her sides. You didn't even hear her walk over, nor did the kids say anything to alert you to their approach. "You must be [y/n], correct?" You nodded, wondering how she knew your name, then remembered that it was very likely Asriel and Frisk told her about you. That and your uniform had a name tag on your left breast. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Toriel. I am so glad to finally meet the children's friend. Frisk really loves your drawing."

"I'm glad they like it," you say politely, noticing a beaming Frisk "I...um...I'm working on one for Asriel too." You could see the goat child's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "I helped them find the pot and bring them back...I didn't want them alone in this huge store."

"Well then, I am glad they have such a nice friend." You found yourself smiling, which was a bit rare for you. Toriel was...well, there was something about her that made you feel safe. This motherly aura that seemed to emanate from her, it was something that you secretly craved. Asriel and Frisk were lucky enough to have such a sweet mom, while you got...yeah, best not to think about that.

"They've been a joy," you tell her, shuffling your feet. "I've never met anyone who enjoys my drawings like they have." You and Toriel make small talk, mostly just her telling you how much the kids talked about you when they were at home. Frisk was adopted (you figured) into their family after the barrier was broken - it was odd, since Frisk didn't seem too keen on going back to his biological family, if he had one, and didn't have any intention on mentioning them or finding out whether they knew their child was gone. Lucky kid, you thought, walking alongside Toriel; if only you were that adventurous as a kid, you would have went to Mt. Ebott and fell into the dark underground rather than deal with the false brightness of the surface. Oh well. At least you managed to escape your hellhole.

You ended up walking Toriel to the cash register, and it was then when you realized you still had a job to do. "Oh, I really need to get back to work, but it was nice speaking with you Miss Toriel."

"Toriel is just fine, thank you," she smiled "I apologize for taking up your time."

"N-no! You didn't take up my time at all! I...I really enjoyed talking with you."

"As did I. It's a shame I had to meet you during your work hours." She paused for a moment, clasping her hands together before reaching for her purse. "I have an idea: why don't we exchange phone numbers? It will be easier for us to talk, and it can be another way for us to watch over the children."

"O-oh! Okay!" 

You dug your phone out of your pocket, entering Toriel's number while she did the same with yours. You bid your farewells, Toriel informing you that you could call or text her anytime if you just needed someone to talk to. You usually dismiss such a statement whenever someone told you that, but Toriel was different; You felt as though you could confide in her better than anyone else, so you would be sure to take up her offer if you needed to. And as you headed to the back room, you realized you felt a lot better than you did this morning, and suddenly that nightmare felt like a distant memory. Maybe today wouldn't be as bad as you thought.

 

* * *

Something a bit odd happened when you returned home that night. When you reached your apartment, you found Sans leaning against the wall next to your door, waiting for you, it seemed. It startled you at first, seeing someone just waiting for you to come home, and Sans didn't mention anything about visiting you since you last texted him. Then again, this was Sans, so this behavior appeared normal for him. So, rather than ask why he was there, you only greeted him, opened the door and let him in, because you knew he was going to enter whether you offered him or not. You were in relatively good spirits after work thanks to Toriel, so you were feeling a bit energized. You wanted to do something other than lounge around the house all day, so you were secretly glad Sans came over, even if he didn't seem to share your energy.

"Toriel told me she met you," Sans suddenly informed you. He was sitting at one of the stools at the counter.

"Uh-huh," you reply, taking two bottles of flavored water from the fridge. "We met at my job. We exchanged numbers. She's nice...I like her a lot." Silence. You placed the other bottle next to Sans while you sat in a stool across from him. You took a swig of the water, deciding to break the silence with small talk. "So, Asriel and Frisk have this gold flower they're taking care of...and it's, like, alive? Like, alive so that it's sentient."

Sans paused, the bottle just a few inches from his mouth before he lowered the bottle some, clear disdain on his face. "Oh. Yeah.  _Those_." He sighed, setting the water down. "It's supposed to be some kind of project that teaches them responsibility. Monster kids had that same assignment underground, but they were given a regular flower. Tori--I mean Toriel thought it would be better to give the kids something to actually take care of to test how responsible they are. They kept the flowers, but had Dr. Alphys create some kind serum that brought the flowers to life." He  shifted in the stool. "They supposedly help kids - since the flowers are sentient, they can talk to them, know what they need, and improve their educational and social skills. They were popular with monsters, but now humans have picked up on using 'em..."

"I don't like them," you blurt out, shuddering "Something about that flower...it freaks me out. Like...it's unnerving and unnatural."

"That makes two of us." The skeleton grunted, finally taking a sip of the water. "Anyway, I came here to ask you something." That was interesting. You gave him a nod that told him to continue. "Papyrus and Undyne are having a slumber party, and they wanted to know if you wanted to come."

You blinked. "How come Papyrus didn't text me? He usually does whenever he wants to hang out."

"He didn't want to disturb you since you were at work," he explained. "He saw you walking this morning, and said you looked really upset." Oh. "So he didn't want to bother ya."

"Oh...oh, no, he wouldn't have bothered me! I...I had a nightmare last night and it...kinda shook me up. I'm feeling better now, though." You fiddled with the cap of your bottle before you turned to glance at the calendar hanging on the wall. Class tomorrow, but you had three days off starting Friday. "Anyway, after tomorrow, I'm free for the whole weekend. I can come then." You pulled out your phone to text the details to Papyrus, but stopped midway through the message and glanced up at Sans. "Will you be there too?"

You immediately clamped your mouth shut. The question just came out on its own, and while you were thinking it, you had no intention on actually asking. You felt your face heat up in embarrassment, and you began to feel like a bother again. Sans had things to do too, and he worked just like anyone else. And while you enjoyed his company, there was also the possibility that he couldn't make it. Maybe his job required for him to be there on one of those days. You liked having Sans around, yes, and you liked having Papyrus around as well. Hell, you liked having them ALL around, not just Sans strictly. So why did he have to be there? What would change if he wasn't? Nothing. Just one less person at the party, right? And one less person couldn't stop you from having fun, so why--

"Yeah, I'll be there." You relax instantly. "Not sure about Asriel and Frisk yet - we haven't heard back from 'em."

Huh. A spending the whole weekend with everyone...usually you would be nervous but, honestly? You were a bit excited! So excited that you quickly finished your message and sent it to Papyrus. Wow. Three days of fun with Asriel, Frisk, Sans, Papyrus and...and..."Wait, you said someone else was coming too, right?"

"Yeah." He grinned. "Undyne and Alphys are coming too."

Alphys' name was brought up before, but not the other. "Wait, who is Un...dyne..." Sans' grin suddenly grew wider as the realization hit you like a freight train. Undyne. The former head of the Royal Guard, now the local school's gym teacher. In fact, Papyrus mentioned her when you visited his house the other day. She's ruthless as she is relentless, was able to easily fell six human children who fell in Mt. Ebott and take their souls. You heard horror stories about the monster woman, people cower in fear at the very mention of her name. You remembered there was a gang in this town once, but they harassed a monster child on day and Undyne happened to be there to witness and swiftly put a stop to it. Needless to say, that gang was never heard from again.

You swallowed hard, now realizing you were going spend three days with the infamous monster herself. You looked down at your phone, only to see that you had gotten a text back from Papyrus saying that he was happy you were coming. It was too late to back out now. You sealed your fate.

"Welp," Sans said, standing from the stool and tossing his now empty bottle into the trash. "I better get going. See you Friday." He saw that horrified expression on your face, and now he was going to leave you knowing you were going to be under the same roof with Un-fucking-dyne for three days?! That shit-eating grin didn't help either, and he just turned and headed towards the door as if nothing was wrong.

"W-wait!" you yelped "Sans..!"

_Click._

The door closed behind him, the lock turning afterwards (how did he lock your own door form the outside...?), and you suddenly felt trapped. You would have fallen out of your stood if you weren't already gripping the table so hard your knuckles were turning white. Congratulations. You just voluntarily got yourself stuck in another situation you had no hopes of getting out of. You were actually looking forward to the slumber party, but you were afraid of types like Undyne. What if you two get off on the wrong foot and she doesn't like you? What if she ended up beating you up?? You suddenly let off a low whine as you sunk into the stool, now fearing your upcoming three day vacation. And the worse part about it is that you couldn't back out now. Ah well...you can't keep running away in hopes to avoid social situations anyway - best to face them head on right then and there, right? And maybe Undyne wasn't as bad as she seemed - you were only going off of what you heard about her, but you have yet to actually meet her face-to-face. And if she was friends with Asriel and Frisk, she couldn't be _that_ bad, right?

Still, you were quite shaken up, but you managed to calm down enough that you could stand from the stool and not worry about losing your footing. It had gotten considerably late, and you had class tomorrow. You still had some time before you needed to go to bed, though...but still, you needed some anime after getting that bit of news.

* * *

Welp.

Apparently the day before any sort of event go by quicker than you wanted them to. You learned this when you woke up the following Thursday morning, realizing you had fallen asleep with your laptop still in your lap. You really needed to stop binge watching anime late at night - not only did you sleep at a later hour, but you had weird dreams that followed. You didn't remember what happened in the dream, but you remembered smacking someone with a leek. Even you had to chuckle at that.

You continued with your usual morning routine; shower, get dressed, eat a light breakfast and you were out the door within the hour. You didn't even look at Kelly when you arrived at class, going straight to your station and took out your easel. Today the class had to practice drawing a human skeleton to learn the basics of human anatomy. You had to hold back another laugh, your mind immediately going back to the skeleton brothers. It was going to be a bit hard, but you focused well enough to draw a legit human skeleton; It wasn't the best skeleton, but it got you a decent grade anyway. 

For the rest of class, you practiced doing various expressions aside from your usual neutral expression. They started out as simple heads, but you ended up drawing Sans and Papyrus. You say there and stared, your normal heads morphing into two skeleton heads, both different in shape and size...and both equally as fun to mess around with. Papyrus was expressive, but Sans was just as expressive since you could do a lot with that grin of his. It wasn't long before the entire page was filled up of the skeleton brothers' heads, both of them doing their version of a certain emotion. You ended up chuckling at your work - the brothers really _were_ fun to draw. And look! Drawing a skull was easier now!

Movement was next, but you had to hold off since class had ended; packing up your easel, you were out the door, finding yourself in a good mood again. That had to have been some kind of record.

You ran into Sans on your way to your car; he was at his hot dog stand again, this time he had quite a line in front of him. It was mostly humans, but you spotted a few monsters in the line as well. The tip jar was filled to the brim, a little cash register sitting on a milk crate had to stay open due to the steady flow of customers. He seemed busy, and more students kept adding to the line, so you simply waved at him and decided you'd text him. Although a part of you wanted to wait in line to try one of those hot dogs; There was a reason for that long line, after all. At the same time, you were too impatient to wait that long for a hot dog, so you decided against it anyway.

It was still a bit early - just getting into the later hours of the afternoon, meaning you had a lot of free time on your hands, but you ultimately decided to go home and just chill. You got a text from Toriel on the drive home, but waited until you hit a red light before you texted her back. She was mostly asking how were you doing, and you told her that you just left class and currently heading home. She ended up calling you by the time you pulled up into the apartment's parking garage, and the two of you ended up talking for almost two hours. Again, your social anxiety and awkwardness prevented you from talking on the phone, but you didn't feel this way with Toriel. Even when you talked about nothing, you enjoyed the chat, even if it was mostly you telling her about your boring life, but at least she was willing to listen. 

By the time you had got off the phone with her, you were back in your apartment and had changed into a spaghetti strapped shirt and sweat pants. You felt like trash. But good trash. And good trash sat on the couch, marathon'd Youtube videos from their laptop while eating a bowl of cereal. It was during a podcast when you decided to pick up your sketchbook to practice some more; you had told yourself to start on movement when you got home but, honestly? You wanted to keep working on expressions. You already messed around with Sans and Papyrus, so you moved on to Asriel and Frisk. You didn't draw children much, and when you did, they got the same treatment as your adult characters: dull and lifeless. And that was a crime, given children were usually lively and full of emotions.

Again, you only drew their heads, going through the same range of emotions as the brothers, but kids were a little more fun, mostly because kids had their own way of expressing themselves.

It was about an hour into your activities when your phone went off. A text from Papyrus.

"hi!"

Another text.

"wat time are u coming to the party?"

Oh. That's right. The slumber party. "Around noon" you told him. 

Your phone went off again. "yay! see u 2morrow!"

...Oh that's right. Today was Thursday. The slumber party was Friday, which was tomorrow. And you told Papyrus you were going to be there by noon.

Well. Fuck.

Another text. This time from Sans, and it was a pun (surprise, surprise). You had to stop yourself from throwing your phone at the nearest wall.

 


	6. Slumber Party Pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going to a summer house that belongs to one of the biggest stars in television for a slumber party wasn't at all what you expected.

Friday came around a lot faster than you had hoped, and it didn't help that you had overslept until after 10 that morning. You were going to be late if you didn't hurry, so you scrambled out of bed, took a quick shower and dressed, and spent more than half an hour deciding what to pack. Since you were going to be spending the entire weekend at the skeleton household, you were going to need the essentials: three days worth of cloths and pajamas, tooth brush, comb, underwear, etc. You were going to take your easel and sketchbook with you, but what else? Maybe one of your handhelds, your iPod was definitely coming with you...and you needed your laptop. Slumber party or not, you couldn't last a day without internet. By the time you had finished packing, you had packed up three bags. Christ, it was like you were going out of town on vacation.

Checking the clock, you saw that it was 11:47am; you had less than fifteen minutes to get there. Fuck. 

You did a quick scan of your apartment, made sure you had everything you needed, safely tucked your phone away and locked up your apartment. As you loaded your bags into your car's trunk, you got a text from Papyrus asking if you were on your way. You bit down on your bottom lip, feeling guilty for oversleeping, and replied that you had overslept, but you were on your way. Better late than never, right?

Traffic was at least merciful on you as you drove as quickly as you could without breaking any speed limits or running red lights; Your phone kept going off with texts, but you had to swallow your guilt and keep your focus on the road. One of your biggest fears was using your phone while driving and crashing into someone (and those "don't text and drive" commercials didn't help either). You eventually made it to the skeleton brothers' house, a bit surprised to see a van parked out in front. And from the looks of it, it looked like one of those vans that could hold at least seven people. That was odd...why would someone need such a big van? More importantly, could the house hold that many people at once?

You step out of the car, deciding to leave your bags in the car for the time being as you stepped up the steps to the door. Your anxiety started to kick in again, especially when you realized who else would be waiting for you inside. But you pushed aside your fears and uncertainties, taking a deep breath, lifted your fist and knocked on the door. You could hear shuffling on the other side, Papyrus' cheerful voice emanated from behind the door.

"Oh! That must be the hum--"

"I GOT IT!"

You heard hurried footsteps behind the door, as if someone was running, a struggle, a crash, someone yelping, and the the locked being fiddled with until it was suddenly swung open (and thank god you stepped back, or else you would have gotten smacked in the face). You felt your pupils shrink as you met the sharp yellow eye of Undyne herself; you were practically tiny compared to her as she nearly towered over you. Your mouth was dry in an instant, and you gripped the insides of your jacket pocket so hard you could feel the fabric stretching against your nails. Your car was just behind you - you could easily turn around and--

"Finally! You made it!" Papyrus appeared next to Undyne, having to push himself through the door to greet her. "I was worried you weren't coming! You didn't reply to my texts!"

"S-sorry," you found your voice again, having to swallow hard. "I...I don't like to use my phone when I drive.."

Undyne raised an eyebrow at you. "Why?"

"I'm afraid I'll get into an accident..."

With some coaxing from Papyrus, the former Royal Guard stepped aside and allowed you entry; the house was as same as always, Sans in his favorite spot on the couch, but now he was accompanied with a yellow dinosaur-looking monster with glasses. You waved at Sans, who waved lazily back. "Sans!" Papyrus suddenly chided "What are you still doing on the couch?? You still need to pack up!"

You frowned. "Pack up?"

"You don't know?" Undyne frowned, her head whipping towards Papyrus. "How come you didn't tell her we were going to have the party at the summer house?!"

"It was Sans who was supposed to tell her!" Papyrus defended "He went over to her household yesterday to ask!"

"You didn't tell me to tell her." Sans interjected, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Sans! How could you not tell our dear friend a very important detail about the party?? Now she may be unprepared!" You had three bags in your car - you were prepared for the bloody apocalypse if it decided to happen today.

"You should have texted her!" Undyne scowled "It would have been a lot easier that way!"

"She was busy!"

The yellow dinosaur fidgeted in her seat, looking very uncomfortable. "U-um, guys?" she squeaked, but it was enough to stop the two from bickering. "M-maybe we should j-just tell her now...No sense in a-arguing about it now that she's here...r-right...?" She suddenly flinched, as if she had done something wrong. You could sympathize with the monster, you realize.

You heard Undyne make a frustrated grunt, folding her arms. "Alright, fine." She glanced at you, making you wince a bit. "So we're having the party at Mettaton's summer house. It's near this huge lake some ways out of town." Mettaton? That name sounded familiar... _very_  familiar. And you heard it recently too, but where...?

"That's where we usually hold our get-togethers!" Papyrus added cheerily. "Mettaton sure was nice to let us use it!"

"Oh," you say, no longer feeling embarrassed about packing up three bags worth of stuff. That would also explain the van parked outside, at least. 

Papyrus had to lug his brother off of the couch and carry him upstairs since he had no intention of getting up on his own, continuing to scold him about his laziness. He told Sans to at least pack his necessities before tossing the stocky skeleton into his room (which make Undyne laugh). "Have fun you three!" he suddenly called, hurrying into his room and shutting the door. And it was then when you realized that both Sans and Papyrus had left you alone with the two new monsters, and you began to feel like the awkward sausage you were.

"So!" Undyne suddenly wrapped her arm around your shoulders, causing you to flinch some. It seemed odd but...you could have sworn you could smell fresh sushi. "Papyrus told me a lot about you! You draw, huh?" You nod quickly. "Frisk showed me that drawing you made for him. They really liked it, but I can't blame them. It looked pretty good."

"I, uh, I...there's still room for improvement...I'm still practicing..." you murmur, trying to ignore the fact her claws were digging into your jacket and poking at your skin. She then guided you over to the couch, nearly throwing you into the spot next to the dinosaur while she sat on the other side of her. You were'n't going to object to how you were being handled - the last thing you wanted to do was piss her off.

"Right. So I'm Undyne," the monster told you, then motioned towards the dino "And this is my girlfriend, Alphys." Oh. That was cute. Alphys waved at you meekly, which you returned before you told them your name. Your mind went blank for a moment, as you were not entirely sure how to make conversation with either monster - hell, you could talk to Sans or Papyrus easier, which was an accomplishment in itself. But you would rather go a minute without being awkward in a social gathering...or at least a couple of seconds.

By the time you opened your mouth to say something, there was a knock at the door, you mentally thanking what ever deity that existed for the distraction.

"I GOT IT!" Undyne shouted as she almost leapt off of the couch, causing both you and Alphys to flinch. The mer-monster was at the door in an instant, swinging it open. "Hey Frisk! Asriel! About time you made it! Oh, and hi Miss Toriel." The kids bounded into the house, dropping their bags near the coat rack; You turned towards the door to see Toriel standing in the doorway, she and Undyne talking about something. Toriel then turned your way, giving you that award-winning smile.

"Oh! I didn't know you were going as well, [y/n]," she chuckled. "I am glad you are. Asriel and Frisk were worried that you weren't going."

"I couldn't find it in myself to miss it," you force a smile, which Toriel accepted much to your relief. She then gave you some brief instructions as far as caring for the kids (no junk food, homework before TV or games, etc.), ensured that the kids would text her at regular intervals then bid you all goodbye until you came back. Once Toriel left, you were surprised to see how well the kids got along with the monster females - Frisk was riding on Undyne's back (shortly after shouting that both kids arrived to the skelebros) while Asriel showed Alphys a book he was reading in school about biology. Not long after that, Papyrus nearly jumped the entire flight of stairs, two suitcases in his gloved hands. Sans was behind him, a single duffel bag strapped around his shoulder. The pair of brothers quickly noted the children's arrival, greeting them fondly as Papyrus lifted Asriel into the air and Sans ruffling up Frisk's hair. You watched from the couch as the group of monsters spoke and mingled with each other; even with Frisk being the only human out of them, they got along like a giant mismatched family. You suddenly felt like an outsider, like an intruder who was not supposed to there at all. They looked so happy to be with each other, and you were just...there.

A loud clap threw you out of your thoughts, Undyne rubbing her claws hands together with anticipation. "Sweet! Now that everyone's here, let's load up the van and get the hel--"

"Language!" Papyrus scolded, covering the children's ears.  
  
"...and get the  _heck_  out of here."

"Thank you!"

The kids picked up their bags before you were led back outside, Sans taking his sweet time to lock up the house while you headed for your car. You popped open the trunk via car keys, taking the roller-bag out first since it could be pulled along on wheels. You the reached for your easel, only to feel the bag's handle jerked from your grip. "Wha..?" Turning, you saw Undyne walking away with your bag. "Un-Undyne..! I can carry it--"

"Nah," she cut you off, pushing the handle back into its holster and carried it to the van. "Let us help."

"Us..?" Turning back to the trunk, you saw Papyrus was carrying your easel bag, Alphys with your laptop. "O-oh...thank you.." 

"Y-you're welcome..!" You and Alphys stared at each other before you both broke eye contact, feeling awkward as you shut your trunk. Your voice was barely audible...how did she hear you? Ah well...it didn't really matter, really; the everyone's bags safely loaded into the van, everyone began to pile in. Undyne was going to drive (which scared you), Alphys riding shotgun. Papyrus was going to sit in the seat behind Undyne, Asriel took the seat next to him, leaving you, Frisk and Sans to sit in the back. The van hummed to life, Undyne shifting the gears and prepared to pull off...

"Hold on!" she suddenly exclaimed, startling nearly everyone in the van. She suddenly whipped her head towards the back, glancing at each passenger. "We got at least a two hour drive ahead, so does anyone have to go to the can before we leave?" She seemed to be eyeing Asriel and Frisk in particular, which you could understand. Kids did have smaller bladders.

"No!" Asriel replied, Frisk shaking their head. Undyne made what sounded like a suspicious hum before she pulled off for real this time, the neighborhood soon going by the window. Oddly enough, Undyne didn't drive like a madman (or woman...or monster) as you would have thought, which made you a lot less tense. You leaned against the arm rest, watching the world go by through the window; the residential neighborhood soon becoming the commercial areas of the town. Everyone else was having their own conversation; Alphys and Undyne were going on about some kind of anime (they watch anime..?), Sans annoying his brother with bad puns, and the kids were making faces at each other. And you remained quiet, as always, left to either look out the window constantly or stare at your hands.

"Yo, human." Undyne suddenly called you, causing you to jump a bit. "Sheesh, Frisk is more talkative than you, and they're a mute! Live a little, will ya? We don't bite!"

"Oh, uh...sorry," you mumbled, twiddling your thumbs "I'm not very talkative..."

"That doesn't mean you should just sit there like a potato!" You realized you preferred being a sausage. "C'mon, say anything. I cant stand anyone being so quiet. Frisk being the only exception."

"I don't know what to talk about."

"Alright, I'll pick a topic for you." She paused, flexing her fingers on the steering wheel thoughtfully. "What do you do in your spare time?"

"Oh...well, I like to lay around my apartment and feel like garbage."

"Me too.." You heard Alphys sigh from the front seat. 

"What?? You are not garbage!" Papyrus chided, turning to look back at you. "You are very great and talented! And the nicest person ever!"

 "Is that a nerd thing or something?" The van was at a red light, Undyne taking the opportunity to look at both you and Alphys with this semi-annoyed expression. "Look, neither of you are garbage, got it? I don't care what kind of self-esteem issues you got, we're gonna fix that one way or another, even if I have to beat it out of you!" You knew that was supposed to be some sort of motivational pick-me-up, but it felt more like a threat. Even Alphys winced.

You licked your lips nervously, eyes shifting out the window again. You wanted to change the subject, but your brain refused to work and think of an appropriate topic-changer. You never did like to talk about yourself, and it wasn't until you could see the town become thinner as the van turned off to a freeway. "Oh, uh, if you don't mind me asking, who's Mettaton?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO METTATON IS??" Papyrus whipped his head at you, his eye-sockets filled with shock. "HE'S ONLY THE GREATEST TV STAR EVER! But not as great as me, of course!"

"TV star...?" Then it hit you. "Oh! Mettaton's that robot that airs live concerts, isn't it?"

"He does TV shows too!" Papyrus told you "A lot of them are my favorites!" 

Ah yes, Mettaton; the Underground's most beloved and popular TV star. He's flamboyant as he is eccentric and egotistical to some degree, but he pretty much has the entire monster populace in his fanclubs. He was all over the media when the monsters returned to the surface, and the film business was a bit skeptical allowing a fully functioning robot created by a monster to get into the film and music industry. But after seeing how rating went through the roof after Mettaton appeared on a talk show, and he's been on high demand since then, even humans adored the glamorous automaton. You didn't know all of the details, since you never really paid attention to anything the media aired or put online, since most of it was crap anyway. 

"Alphys made him," Undyne added, the yellow monster blushing deeply.

"W-well, I just m-made the body..."

"That's still incredible!" You blurted out. "I mean, I built robots back in high school, but that's nothing when compared to _that_."

Apparently the mention of being in the same vehicle with someone who created possibly one of the biggest stars on television was enough to get you talking; You didn't watch a lot of TV as it is - and you weren't ashamed to admit that - but Papyrus was very enthusiastic to tell you about all the shows and movies Mettaton was in. This went on until Undyne got tired of hearing about Mettaton and quickly changed the subject, but you remained in the conversation, adding your own statement or opinion whenever you had one. While you were more reclusive, even you enjoyed talking with the monsters and child, and the best part is that they never seemed to get bored of what you had to say. It made you feel good, not being dismissed or ignored when in a group conversation. If someone interrupted you, Undyne was the first to let them know that you were speaking, in which you would continue with your statement, even if you wanted the other person to continue.

Those two hours seemed to have blown by now, and by the time you looked back out the window, you saw a lake stretching out a quarter mile away. It was quite large, the sun's light reflecting off of the waves, casting off a brilliant glow as you passed by on the freeway. You noticed Frisk and Asriel getting excited, the latter unbuckling his seat belt to look out the window at the lake with the widest grin. Not that you could blame him - it was really pretty.

The summer house came into view - you peered out to see that the house was sat nicely on top of a little hill. It looked a lot like one of those expensive houses a lot of celebrities had; it was white and square shaped, most of the walls on the first floor were windows, and you could guess that at least two of them were doors. Stairs led up to the house, a driveway curving up to a large two-door garage that could hold up to four cars. You couldn't see what was inside since you were too far away, but you already figured it would be impressive on the inside as it was outside. You could also see that the house was made out of ivory...or was that marble?

"We're here!" Undyne announced, turning and driving up to the garage. You noticed Alphys fiddling with something in her lap; You could hear a faint "beep," one of the doors opening just as the van reached the garage. Undyne slowed down as she parked the van securely inside, Alphys activating the door to close. Everyone was silent (save for the kids) as everyone piled out the van in a timely manner. Asriel and Frisk immediately ran to the house, Papyrus calling for them to grab their bags and not to track any dirt into Mettaton's house. You went to the trunk to grab your bags, easily spotting your three bags sitting snugly in a corner unharmed. You and everyone else was quick to unload your bags - the kids needing some coaxing to get their own - and you all piled into the house.

Your jaw almost hit the floor once you were inside; You were only in the foyer, polished hardwood floors were almost like mirrors, a large chandelier hung above giving the house its light. A HUGE plasma screen hung on the wall, a couch forming a half square around a glass coffee table, a pink and white leopard patterned rug under the couches and table. Next to that was the wall completely made of glass, a door leading to a walkway and patio were three windows from the couch on the far end. An grand ebony piano was some ways behind the entertainment area, followed by a set of stairs leading up to the second floor over the doorway to what you assumed was the kitchen.

"HEY, HUMAN!" You jumped, looking up to see Undyne peering down at you over the second floor's balcony. Frisk made a face as he glanced at the aquatic monster. "Not you, Frisk." Said child tilted their head before walking off. It was then when you noticed that everyone else had made it upstairs, and you were the only one still standing on the second floor. "Anyway, why're you still down there?? C'mon and pick your room!"

"Okay..!" Readjusting your grip on the handle, you pulled your bags up to the stairs, Undyne leading you to the bedrooms (passing another sitting area that was right in front of the stairs). Sans and Papyrus' rooms were across from one another, Asriel and Frisk were trying to decide who got the top bunk through a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, Alphys was next to Sans' room, Undyne's suitcase was in the room next to the kids', so you picked the room next to Alphys. The room you picked was...well, it was bigger than the one back at your apartment, complete with an en suite bathroom, a desk, a vanity, a closet (you guessed a walk-in), a bed that could easily fit two, and a direct view of the lake outside the door-sized windows. You sat the smaller bags on the bed, letting the big one sit on the floor; it was a nice room - hell, the entire house was impressive in itself, and the atmosphere was definitely a pick-me-up. You stood in your temporary room, taking it all in before you walked out and went back downstairs where everyone else was. They were in the middle of some sort of debate, it seemed.

"...but we wanted to go to the lake!" Asriel whined, Frisk doting a pout of his own.

"Sorry kiddos, but we need to stock up on chow," Sans reasoned, pointing his thumb towards the kitchen. "It's completely empty, not even a bag a chips is in sight."

"But Saaaaans..!"

"C'mon you two, you need food. If ya don't eat, you'll become nothin' but bones."

"That wasn't even a pun!"

"There's no food in the kitchen?" You ask, everyone's attention on you.

"No," Undyne folded her arms "Not that it's unusual. Mettaton doesn't eat like we do, so he leaves the kitchen empty until it's needed." Well, he was a robot. and robots didn't need to eat like other organic life did. "We usually go stock up, Asriel and Frisk want to go straight to the lake."

You blinked. "They can't wait until we come back?"

"It will be too late by then!" Asriel argued "And it takes forever to get to the nearest store!" Frisk nodding briskly.

"But it's past lunch and we're starving!" Undyne protested.

"W-wait," you say, not wanting this to escalate even further.  You did a quick headcount, seeing that there were seven people in total. An odd number, but it wouldn't be too much of a problem for what you had in mind. "What if half of us stay here and watch the kids, and the rest of us go get the groceries? We can decide who stays and who goes--"

"I'm going," Undyne stated immediately.

"I-I'm going with Undyne..!" Alphys added.

"Frisk and I are staying."

"Then I, the Great Papyrus, will act as your chaperon so you will not come to harm! Nyeh-heh-heh!"

"Thanks bro."

"...And please take my lazy brother with you. I cannot watch two children and him too!" 

All eyes then turned towards you, causing you to back up some. You were the only one who hadn't decided if you were staying or going, so you considered your options. You could stay here while Papyrus and the kids go play on the lake's shoreline, but while you enjoyed solitude, being alone in a big house didn't bode well with you, nor were you mentally and physically ready to go outside yet. Really, you could have stayed - you're not a particularly picky eater, but you were sure Papyrus would want to make spaghetti, and you knew your stomach couldn't handle anymore of that.

"...I'll go with the grocery group."

"Alright." Undyne immediately turned and headed to the garage, tossing the keys over her shoulder. They smacked Sans square in the face, but he let them fall to his feet. "I've been driving for two hours. Someone else take the wheel." You went to pick up the keys, but Sans got them in his hands...without bending over, or so much as squatting to pick them up. So how did he...?

You shook your head, following them out to the garage, the excited chatter of two kids and one skeleton behind you as you entered the garage once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, but this is another set-up chapter. Slumber party shenanigans will begin in the next chapter. Promise!
> 
> Also, am I keeping everyone in character well enough? I would like to know so I can improve this in any way I can. I want people to enjoy this, of course!


	7. Slumber Party pt. 2

Despite Mettaton being a robot and not needing to consume food to keep him alive, he was considerate enough to build his house a few miles from the nearest superstore. With Sans behind the wheel, you were a bit apprehensive about getting in the van again. That changed the moment the vehicle started moving, Sans driving like a normal person...for the most part. Despite his laziness and sluggish attitude, he seemed to enjoy driving past the freeway's speed limit at random intervals, causing him to get yelled at by Undyne. Other than that, the trip was...well, normal.

Since you were only staying for three days, there was no need to buy more than what you needed and let the rest spoil once you leave. Fortunately, this store not only provided human food, but monster food as well, and monster food didn't spoil. Of course, monster products were separated from human products to avoid confusion, so finding their specific groceries wasn't hard. Undyne took a cart - Alphys at her side - and you went with a basket, the four of you breaking off to do your own shopping.

Your basket remained empty for a quarter of your time alone, mostly because you weren't sure what you really wanted over three days. Instant noodles? Nah, you had plenty back at your apartment. Hot Pockets? Ech, you weren't really in the mood. Frozen pizza? They don't have stuffed crusts. TV dinners? ...Okay, you may be trash, but you were trash with _standards_.

You made a frustrated noise as you let the freezer door close, deciding to go to another aisle. You passed by Alphys and Undyne, who were in the chips and snacks aisle.

"H-hey, Undyne, what kind of chips do y--"

"I'M A SLUT FOR DORITOS!"

You managed to snort, but you didn't blame her; Doritos were freakin' tasty. "O-oh! [Y/n]!" Alphys called to you, causing you to turn towards her direction "U-um...wh-what kind of chips do you like...?"

You tilted your head, joining Alphys in the chip aisle and scanned the large variety of fried potatoes and pressed corn. Again, you faced the same dilemma as before - unsure of what you had a taste for. It was odd, considering you haven't eaten anything all day and feeling a bit peckish...and yet, you ended up contradicting yourself for not being a picky eater. Your furrowed your brow thoughtfully, having a mental debate with yourself as to what brand of chips you preferred at the moment. You could have went with Doritos, grabbing a bag of the spicy nacho flavor as it was your favorite...one the other hand, those cheddar and sour cream Lays looked pretty tasty. Cheeto Puffs sounded pretty good too...Oh look! Pringles! They even have the pizza flavor you loved! 

You made some sort of noise before you plucked a bag of the spicy nacho flavored Doritos from the shelf, grabbing a small jar of cheese dip while you were at it. "Temptation, thy name is Doritos."

"I prefer cool ranch," Alphys added, taking a bag of said flavor from the shelf "I don't really care for spicy stuff, though."

"I love spicy food," you chuckle, tossing the bag into your basket. "Not too hot, though. Just enough to get that satisfying tingle at the back of my tongue and throat." You and Alphys ended up walking and shopping together, the two of you somehow bypassing your anxieties and shyness to speak like old friends, almost. You found Alphys to be somewhat of a kindered spirit, the two of you sharing most the same interests and having similar living and eating habits. But while you spent your time drawing, Alphys did science stuff...when she could. After all, she was the one who built Mettaton, and was the Royal Scientist back in the Undergound, so you knew the little dinosaur was pretty smart. The two of you also shared similar tastes in anime, although you preferred horror and fantasy based anime, Alphys was a slice of life and magical girl type of person.

Eventually, the two of you managed to wander into the pasta aisle during your conversation; You passed the shelves that were stocked with various types of pasta and noodles, your face immediately scrunching up when Papyrus' spaghetti crept back into your mind. Alphys must have noticed this, since you heard her sigh next to you. "I'm not looking forward to Papyrus' spaghetti either. That's why I stocked up." She motioned at her basket, which was filled with instant noodles, chips and soda. Your basket was similar, except you had less noodles, one bag of chips, Poptarts and two half liters of your favorite soda.

"Same but...we can't just eat chips and noodles all weekend..." You frowned, glancing at the pasta filled shelves. Now that you thought about it, when was the last time you had some good pasta? It's been...wow, two or three years, hasn't it? The last time you had decent Italian was when your aunt took you out to eat for your birthday that one year...You bit down on your bottom lip, finding yourself craving the delicately warm comfort of good Italian, and Papyrus' spaghetti just wasn't going to cut it. Not that you were going to tell the sweet skeleton, oh no, but you did not want to endure another night of regret and hunger either.

Alphys raised an eye brow as she watched you take lasagna noodles and marinara sauce and toss them into your basket. You then left the aisle, leading the dino-monster to the refrigerated aisles and taking packs of ground beef, shredded mozzarella, parmesan and marscapone cheese. You could see the quizzical look on your monster companion's face, in which you smiled. "It's a surprise."

Undyne met up with the two of you as you made your way to checkout, her mostly asking where the two of you been, and the latter replying that they were shopping. Sans was no where in sight, but that wasn't going to stop the three of you from paying for your groceries. With the items scanned, and after a small debate between the three of you as to who paid for it all (which Undyne decided she was going to), you went back to the truck - finding Sans there waiting - loaded said truck and were back on the road to the summer house once more, Sans once again behind the wheel. The trip itself took two hours, and by the time you came back, it was after 6pm, and just on time, since it was dinner time. Quickly, you grabbed your bags and hurried into the kitchen, greeting Papyrus and the children as you walked by. You decided to wait until the rest of the groceries were put away and everyone settled in before you commenced your secret dinner plans...and after making sure there was no one else in the kitchen but you, you grinned, shut the door, took off your jacket and took out your ingredients.

* * *

 

You would never forget your grandmother. She was a kind, dutiful old woman who took care of you like you were her own daughter. When you finally escaped your hellbent mother, it was she who took you in, sheltered you, gave you back the courage and strength you had long lost over ten years ago. Even when she had gotten sickly herself, she still cared for you...and in her final days, you repaid her by taking care of her until she finally left this world. You missed her immensely, but she as in a better place now...

Your grandmother was not only known for her kind nature, but for her excellent cooking. Oh how you remembered the days where the entire neighborhood would come over just to sample her home cooking. Sunny summer days spent out in the backyard with the barbecue, the adults chatting, the kids playing, the smell of grilled meats and comfort food sides filled the air. Those were simpler times...fond memories that were not filled with anguish, fear and dread. How you had long missed smelling your grandmother's cooking when you came home from school...but she was gone now. However, while your grandmother was no longer of the physical plain, it didn't meant you couldn't relive the childhood nostalgia of those peaceful times.

You remembered the recipe, her famous lasagna, down to a T. You started with the meat, browning it in a pan while the sauce simmered in a pot. The pasta was boiling on the third burner, although it was close to being cooked enough for the next step.

You removed the pot from the stove, pouring the pasta into a strainer to get rid of the access water. You tossed the noodles to get any extra, only to nearly jump out of your skin when you heard the kitchen door open behind you. Turning, you sighed with relief seeing that it was only Asriel and Frisk, although they were confused as to why you were in the kitchen...alone...and cooking.

"[Y/n]?" Asriel asked "What are you doing?"

"Uh..." You licked your lips, your mind racing for a quick explanation. You didn't want to ruin the surprise...or want Papyrus to know you were cooking without him knowing. You wanted to follow your grandmother's recipe, and while this sounded conceited, you didn't want anyone else interfering. "I'm...making...a surprise for everyone," you finally say "to...um...thank you, for inviting me over."

"Oh." You released a sigh or relief, thankful that the two kids were satisfied with your answer. "What are you making?"

"Lasagna," you told them "It's my grandmother's recipe." You took a casserole dish from the cabinet - one that was pretty big, you noticed - as an idea came to your mind before you glanced back at the kids. "Do you two want to help?" Both sets of eyes lit up, and you could tell Asriel was prepared to accept the offer loudly. You shushed him, placing your finger on your lips before nodding at the door. "You can only help if you promise to be quiet and not let anyone else in the kitchen. I don't want to ruin the surprise."

"Okok!" Asriel was bouncing excitedly, Frisk hurrying to the door to peek out at the monsters. They then turned back to you, sending you a thumbs up before you called him back over.

"Alright," you say in a hushed tone, setting the dish and a bowl on the counter. You had spooned the meat into the sauce, stirring it until it was mixed in well, then set the pot on the counter next to the dish, handing Asriel a spoon. "Asriel," you explained, pouring some of the sauce into the bottom of the dish "I need you to spread the sauce all over the bottom of the dish. Make sure it's _completely_ covered, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Smiling, you left Asriel to his task and filled the bowl with marscapone and parmesan cheese. The recipe called for ricotta cheese, but you personally hated ricotta; It wasn't the taste as it was the texture that threw you off. "Frisk, I need you to mixed this together." You told them, handing them a wooden spoon. "Make sure there's no lumps, okay?" Frisk nodded, and went to stirring immediately. With that out of the way, you returned to Asriel, who had spread the sauce over the bottom of the dish impressively, and oddly neat. You nodded approvingly.

"Okay, now to place the noodles..." 

You demonstrated how to place the noddles in the dish, laying the flat pieces of pasta vertically. Asriel was a quick learner, following your lead and the two of you were able to cover the bottom of the dish in record time. Frisk had finished with the cheese, which was now smooth and tantalizing as it was, but you held back the urge to stick your finger in and snatch a quick taste and ladled in the sauce. Frisk, seemingly knowing what to do, spooned in and spread the cheese, Asriel following suit with another layer of noodles. The pattern continued as the three of you assembled the lasagna; Asriel placing the noodles, you following up with the sauce, and Frisk finishing with more cheese. With that amount of teamwork, the dish was completely full up to the top, and from the looks of it, able to feed exactly 7 people. To top it off, you grated some parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and allowed the kids to sprinkle it on top before you popped it all in the over to cook.  
  
"How long does it cook for?" Asriel asked curious, peering into the oven's window.

"30 minutes," you tell them. "While that cooks, we can clean up a bit."

You expected them to not be as enthused about cleaning up the mess, them being children and all, but oddly enough, they seemed very willing to help. Fortunately though, there was a working dishwasher in the kitchen, thus cutting down the clean up time by half as you loaded the dishwasher with the used dishes, Asriel and Frisk wiping off the counter, cleaning out the sink, and you finished up with sweeping the floor. By the time the mess was completely cleaned, the scent of the cooking lasagna was already wafting through the kitchen...and into the foyer as well.

"Something smells good..." you heard Undyne murmur.

"Hey...wh-where did the kids and [y/n] go?" Alphys asked. 

The three of you glanced at each other before you decided to finally leave the kitchen. The children hurried out first, you bringing up the rear just in time to see Papyrus and Undyne heading straight to the kitchen. "Children! Human!" Papyrus exclaimed "Where have you been! You have not been seen in ages!"

"It's only been an hour, Pap." Undyne grumbled with a slight eye roll, before raising a eyebrow at the three of you. "What were you guys doing in there anyway?"

"Uh--"

"[Y/n] wanted to make a surprise for everyone!" Asriel spoke quickly with Frisk nodding eagerly. "It's to thank us for inviting her over to the slumber party!"

"So you were cooking?"

"WHAT?!" Papyrus cried as he looked at you "Human! You went through the trouble of cooking for us? Without even letting us know??"

"Well...I..." You bit your bottom lip. "I had to do something..! I wanted...to show you all how much I appreciate you guys being my friends and letting me into your lives...Besides, I can do more than just draw pictures.."

"Wowie! No one's ever cooked a meal for me before!" Papyrus exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "Well, except for Toriel sometimes."

You explained that it was going to be a half an hour before the food would be ready, giving you all some time to mess about until then. Back in the entertainment area, all of you sat around the television, which was on to only provide background noise. Your sketchbook was back in your lap as you filled it with idle doodles, your focus mostly on the conversations happening around you while Asriel and Frisk hovered over your shoulder to watch you draw. The main topic of the evening's conversation consisted of that of the Underground, the very place the monsters came from. It was mostly them reminiscing on past events back before the barrier was broken, when Frisk had fallen down and essentially saved everyone. Intrigued, you stayed quiet and listened carefully, hanging on to every detail.

From what you gathered, Frisk had fallen down into the Underground some years ago, where they ventured through and befriended every monster they came across. There was also a point in the story where most of the monsters spoke of how Frisk had passed out for a long amount of time, and when they woke, when back to the very beginning and came back with Asriel at his side. Curious, you asked how that happened, Asriel stepping in to tell you that Frisk offered a piece of his soul in order for him to live again. You knew that there was more to that, but you left the matter alone. You had learned about how monster and human souls worked, but you had no idea that a piece of your soul could be given to someone, let alone a monster. Was that really possible?

Your thoughts were interrupted by the oven's timer in the kitchen; The lasagna was finished. "Dinner's ready," you announced, standing up and heading straight for the kitchen. 

"Alright you two," Undyne instructed and she ruffled up Frisk's hair "Go get washed up."

"Yes ma'am!" The two plodded upstairs, Papyrus and Alphys setting the table, and Sans was...well, still on the couch. Doing nothing. That is, until Undyne grabbed him and dragged him off towards the dining room. 

You emerged from the kitchen with the lasagna in hand (using oven mitts, of course - you didn't want to burn your hands!) surprised to see the table already set. "Holy shit, that looks good." Undyne stared at the lasagna with hungry eyes, Papyrus squinting at it.

"What is that?" he asked you.

"Lasagna. It's...a little like baked spaghetti."

"WHAT?! How absurd! You do not 'bake' spaghetti! It's a mockery to the culinary art of making spaghetti itself! You need to take cooking lessons with Undyne and I!"

"I dunno, Pap," Undyne hummed, and you noticed the children bounding back down the stairs and towards the table. "Maybe _we're_ the ones who need the lessons."

With everyone seated, you had the honors of serving everyone their portions. Since Asriel and Frisk helped you, you gave them the first two pieces. Next came Papyrus, then Sans, then Undyne and Alphys, and finally you. As you sat down, you wished you had bought some garlic bread to go with it, but you decided that it was fine how it was now...and next time you could add a side or two to make a complete meal.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" You jumped, looking up to see Papyrus' mouth hung open, fork in his hands and tears in his eyes. Blinking, you then noticed that everyone was pretty much scarfing down the lasagna...well, almost everyone, since Undyne's plate was spotless. 

"Can I have seconds?" Asriel asked, he and Frisk extending their plates towards you.

"ME TOO!" Came from Undyne.  

"Uh...o-okay..!"

They asked, and you obliged, giving each of them a second piece before you sat down to start on yours. You could barely eat, however, as the monsters showered you in an endless stream of praise of how good your cooking was. And they meant it, since they all ate a second helping before getting full...well, Undyne managed to down three pieces, but that was beside the point. It was hard for you to concentrate on eating, your face heating up with a blush as you squirmed in your seat. It had been so long since you last cooked something...you thought you would be awful at it, the monsters only eating to spare your feelings, but these were genuine compliments. No one has ever praised anything you did...hell, even your drawings got praise on a day-to-day basis when you were around them.  It felt...nice. You even found yourself smiling as you helped with the cleanup after dinner.

"Wow human," Undyne sighed with content, still patting her stomach "I was told you were supposed to be an artist - you should have told us you were a cook too!"

"I-it was nothing, really..." you mumbled, dumping the dishes into the sink. "I was only following my grandmother's recipe..." You went back out to the dining room to get the other plates, only to see Sans still at the table, a whole half of his lasagna still on his plate. "Sans? Why are you still eating?"

"I want to enjoy this while it lasts."

O-kay. You took the plates and silverware into the kitchen without another word, Alphys and Undyne offering to wash and pt away the dishes for you. You thanked them, deciding that now was a good time for you to go take a shower and get ready for the night. You headed upstairs, passing the entertainment room to see the the two children flipping through the channels, Papyrus lecturing his brother, and said skeleton still slowly eating his lasagna without a care in the world. You shook your head and chuckled softly as you climbed up the steps and headed straight to your room. As you prepared your clothes and gathered other necessities, your phone suddenly went off. You immediately went to pick it up, figuring that it was either your boss or Toriel calling you to check on you. "Hello?"

"Oh, so you finally want to talk, huh?"

You froze. 

That voice...sounded all too familiar. Your throat went bone dry as you gripped your phone, almost wishing you'd let it drop from your hand. "Hello? I'm still here!" 

You ended the call, tossing your phone on the bed as if it were a bomb about the detonate. Your mind raced, your hands trembled, your heart pounded against your chest like a drum. How...how did she get your number? You made sure to cease contact with her since you left but...Wait, if she knew your number, did she maybe knew where you live? Could she track you down after all these years? No no no no no no no no no no NO--!

...No. No, she couldn't find you. She doesn't even have the means to track you down. So what if she knew your cell phone number? You've had the same number ever since you've had a cell phone. Besides, she didn't know your apartment's phone number, and she sure as hell didn't know where you lived. How could she? There was no in left in your family, or anyone that neither of you knew that had that kind of information. So what were you worried about? She couldn't find you, right? ...Right..?

You phone went off again, bringing you out of your thoughts. You peered down at the caller ID, mentally slapping yourself for answering an unregistered number. There was a reason why you saved numbers into your phone for the specific reason of not answering unregistered ones (they're usually salesman or someone who dialed the wrong number). You allowed your voicemail to pick up the call before you just shut your phone off completely. You were finally in a good mood, surrounded by good friends, just had a good meal and was supposed to be having a good time all around...and you refuse to let her ruined that. She already ruined your life as it is...why couldn't she just leave you alone...?

Sighing, you took your hairbrush from your bag and stepped into the bathroom, hoping to wash away the memories and the unsettling encounter like the dirt and grime that would run down the drain become a distant, and hopefully, a forgotten memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, it's been a while since I last updated. So much crazy stuff has been going on over here and I haven't been able to properly sit down and write again. Feels good to update this - I've been really wanting to work on it some more.  
> Also, I'd like to thank all of you who have been supporting this story. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea - which is fine - but to get so much positive feedback really means a lot to me, especially with all the stress I've been dealing with recently.  
> More slumber party shenanigans coming up in the next chapter!


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